Happily Never After
by Brin
Summary: The Siege is over and now the transgenics are going to have to learn to live with not only the Ordinaries, but with each other, too. FINISHED
1. Transparent Transgenic?

**Disclaimer:** I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

**Summary:** Sequel to The Siege. You need to read that before reading this to fully understand what's happening. Takes place a few months after the ending scene in The Siege. In this story, loose ends are tied up and old quarrels are solved.

A/N: **I'm having major writer's block. If this chapter sounds choppy and/or slow, please bear with me. **This is sort of an in-between story. It won't be more than a few chapters—just enough for me to marry off most of the characters and add a lot of A/M/L angst. But then again… considering how I write (people say things I didn't mean, bad things happen, new plotlines develop… *sigh*) it's not a promise.

**Happily Never After**

By

**Brin**

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Chapter 1: Transparent… Transgenic?

The last few months had been hectic, and that was an understatement. Between attempting to meld the transgenics into American culture, dealing with the press, negotiating with government leaders, and having a love life… Max was exhausted. She had slept every night for the last week—which of course had caused Alec to become frustrated and created a bit of tension between them.

"I'm going to die," announced Max as she lay face-down on her bed.

"Oh come on. Dieing is so overrated," replied Jondy as she dusted Max's apartment for her.

"And that'd just take all the fun out of the Familiars' lives," added Syl, who was balancing Max's checkbook. Eve was in a playpen in the middle of the room, banging her rattle against the floor. "They love sending goons after you."

"Besides, if you're not happy then I'm not happy. Are you happy guys?" said Eddie as she entered the room with a mop and bucket.

"Nope," replied Syl and Jondy in unison.

Max lifted her head and glared at each of them. "I'm glad you find this amusing." She put her head back down and submerged herself in the bed sheets.

"Show a little appreciation! I just mopped your kitchen floor and cleaned both of your bathrooms," complained the cat anomaly, collapsing on the bed on top of Max. "Which, might I add, was long overdue."

"Thank you," grumbled the sulking X5, her voice muffled by the covers.

"I think we need a ladies' night out," declared Syl. "Max needs a vacation."

"Can't do that," interrupted Max. "I have a meeting with Social Services people this evening."

"Well… what about afterwards?" Jondy finished dusting and joined Eddie in sitting atop Max.

"The meeting is over at like ten and I think Alec would be a bit disappointed if I didn't have sex with him tonight." Max shoved the two transgenics off of her and sat up. "He's disappointed that I've started sleeping like a normal person and don't stay up all night anymore."

The other three transgenics laughed.

"I wouldn't let Krit near me for like the first five months of my pregnancy," said Syl as she picked Eve up. "Alec better get used to it."

"And that would be assuming that I plan on getting pregnant soon, which I'm _not_," said Max irritably, lifting a finger to accentuate her point. "I'll leave that to you and Jondy, thankyouverymuch."

"Whatever you say," mumbled Syl, shaking her head incredulously. "Anyway, it's your twenty-first birthday Wednesday, isn't it? October 30th, Max…"

Jondy's face lit up. "That's right! Your **_twenty-first_**! Do you know what that means?"

"Umm… we have a nice dinner and… a pajama party?" Max covered her head with a pillow.

"Barhopping, strip clubs, getting wasted… and not feeling guilty," corrected Jondy with an evil grin. "You, my sista, are going to have a night on the town with us."

"That's a bad thing, isn't it?" asked Max timidly. "Can I pass?"

"No."

Max peeked out from underneath the pillow at Eddie. "Help? Please?'

"I'm not old enough to come… what do you want me to do?" she said, baring her fangs in a smile.

"That's right," grumbled Max, shaking her head. "I forgot."

Jondy laughed and pulled her little sister off the bed. "Max, you've got to learn to chill. No one likes a party pooper. We need to loosen you up some. Eddie, go grab a bottle of Alec's liquor and some Tabasco sauce and…"

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_I'm going to _kill_ Jondy!_ thought Max angrily as she tried to stay awake during the meeting with the Social Services people. Almost totally inebriated from whatever the hell Jondy had mixed together in her drink, the X5 felt extremely drowsy and just wanted to go home.

"…we will require all transgenics under the age of eighteen to be adopted or acquire legal guardians or they will be sent to a state-approved orphanage…"

Max's head jerked up at that. "Sir, we have over two hundred fifty transgenics in that age group," she reminded him.

"I'm sorry, Miss Guevara, but that is the law. If they aren't adopted we will set up new orphanages to meet their needs," said the head of Social Services, then sat down. "You have two months to do this. We can't have those kids living on the streets, uncared for and causing trouble. Meeting adjourned."

There was the loud scraping of chairs against the ground as everyone stood up, glad that the three-hour meeting was finally over.

"Shit… shit, shit, shit, shit!" grumbled Max under her breath. She looked at Alec, who was twirling a ballpoint pen around his fingers distractedly. "Now what're we going to do?"

Alec shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe Logan could help us."

Max cringed. For the past few months, her contact with Logan had been kept to an absolute minimum. During the time she _had_ spent with him, Max had made sure that someone else was in the room. She really didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with him if he brought up his love for her again. It just… wasn't at the top of her list of pleasurable pastimes.

"Oh come on, Maxie. Logan could pull one of his miracles and we'd have those kids in homes by the end of the week," said Alec, patting her on the shoulder.

"Alec, we can't always depend on Logan."  
  


"Okay, so next time we have a crisis, we won't ask him. This is his area, Maxie," said Alec, leaning forward. "He doesn't bite."

Max sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "Alright, alright. We'll ask Logan. But can we just go home now?"

"Was about to suggest it myself. Let's go." Alec practically jumped to his feet.

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When Max and Alec got home, they had the distinct impression that someone was in their apartment. The doorknob had been carelessly picked; the paperclip was still inside the keyhole. Alec pulled his gun from inside his jacket. He always carried a gun nowadays, and once or twice it had been quite useful. "You check the living room. I got the kitchen and the bedroom."

Max nodded and crept down the hall. Her enhanced hearing picked up breathing in the living room. The TV was on. She crouched low and peeked around the corner. As soon as she saw who was in the room, she relaxed and stood up, shaking her head.

"You can relax now, Alec," called the female X5. "It's only Eddie and Pick."

Alec emerged from the kitchen with a sour look upon his face. "You mean I don't get to beat up anyone?"

"Shh," said Max, pointing at the two teenagers.

The younger transgenics were entangled on the couch, fast asleep. Eddie was halfway on top of Pick, who had his arms around her waist and his head resting on her shoulders. A bowl of popcorn was sitting on the coffee table and the TV was showing some soundless black and white film.

"Aw… damn," groaned Alec, slumping his shoulders. "Why are they here? We can't have sex if they're here!"

Max clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress a laugh, but it didn't work very well as her shoulders started shaking. "Al-Alec… what…?"

"It's not funny, Max," he complained miserably. 

"Sorry, sorry." She shook her head and turned her attention back to their guests. "Their apartment doesn't have a television… or popcorn… or a microwave…"

"Or a refrigerator," volunteered Alec. "Or a couch… or-or—"

"I know, Alec," snapped Max irritably. "That's probably why they're here. We should let them sleep here tonight. They'll go home in the morning, alright?"

Alec sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Okay, okay. But just because they don't have a bed frame." He paused, then continued, "I mean, they won't accept help from anyone so I don't' see why they have to come over here and sleep—"

"You must be tired, baby," interrupted the female X5, shaking her head. "Let's go to sleep."

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**The next morning.**

"Is Eddie old enough to be sleeping with Pick?"

"We don't know if she's sleeping with him, and it's none of your business."

"Okay… but, say—"

"Alec!" yelled Max, smacking him on the head. "Will you stop it?"

The other X5 rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "I feel hyper. I need to run a mile… or ten… Can I go, Max? Pleeease?!"

"I don't suppose I can stop you," replied Max with a roll of her eyes. "Go, then. But you better take a shower when you get back because everyone knows you smell like a gossamer after you run."

Alec happily jumped off the bed and pulled on his sweatpants and sweatshirt. "Back in five minutes, baby." He gave Max a kiss on the cheek and hurried out the door.

A few seconds after he was gone, Eddie poked her head in and cautiously looked around the room. "Where's the fire?"

"He's just got some pent-up energy," explained Max with a shrug. "Where's Pick?"

"Went to work." She moved into the doorway. A big, fluffy comforter was wrapped around her tiny body, making her look like one big ball of cloth with a head and feet. "Umm, Max? Can I ask you something?" said the cat anomaly with a sheepish look on her face.

"Sure."

"Uhh… when you first got out of Manticore, did you have a mom and dad? Like, did anyone take you in?"

Max sat up and smiled at the young transgenic, who was shuffling her feet nervously. "Eddie, come here." She held her arms out. The cat anomaly looked around the room as if expecting someone else to be there, but found no one so she went over and climbed onto the bed to accept Max's hug. "Look, I've never had a mother or father. I doubt many first-generation transgenics ever have, okay? Not even the X-series."

"Well, down in the basement we heard from Joshua that there was once a Father," explained the girl, her big brown eyes wide with curiosity. She looked more like a frightened child than a hardened soldier. "Was there?"

"I remember Father," admitted Max with a shrug. "He's the one who created the transgenics. No one knows where he is now."

"Oh…" Eddie looked disappointed. "But, after you got out…?"

"We were chased. Hunted, like animals. We didn't live in one place too long until we got older and discovered new tricks to hide. Anomalies aren't the only ones who have never had a complete family."

Eddie smiled. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Eddie stood up with the comforter still wrapped around her shoulders. "Thanks. I'll just be going now…" She started waddling to the door, trying to avoid tripping over the blanket and falling flat on her face.

Max watched her go, but just before Eddie reached the door a light bulb went on in the X5's mind. "Hey, Eddie, just a second."

The cat anomaly stopped and turned around. "Yes?"

"Last night, at the meeting, I was told that every transgenic under the age of eighteen needs to have legal parents or guardians—"

At this point Alec walked in, but Max was too far to stop.

"—and I was thinking that Alec and I could maybe adopt you?"

THUD.

"Eddie?" Max jumped out of bed and ran over to the unconscious girl. "She… fainted?"

"Good job, Max. Scare the poor girl shitless," said Alec, wiping his sweaty face on his sleeve.

TBC…

A/N: I'm unhappy with that chapter *sigh* Please don't kill me. It'll get better… I hope U_U


	2. However Unlikely

**Disclaimer:** I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

**_***PLEASE NOTE***_** I changed Chapter 1. They're not living in San Francisco anymore. They're in Seattle. I can't even remember why I had them go to San Francisco. 

A/N: **Lots n lots of thanks go out to Hearns, who emailed me some very helpful ideas! My muse is starting to wake up again. **I just watched _Girlfight_! Very good movie! Go rent it! Now! LoL :-D In fact… I liked that movie so much I'll probably be introducing the main character from that movie, Diana, into this story… **but beware, she has a dirty mouth!** If you've seen the movie, please humor me and just make believe that this could happen, okay? LoL Or not… you could just yell at me U_U

Happily Never After 

By

Brin, proud member of the Fellowship for Hot X5 Guys__

_Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business._

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Chapter 2: However Unlikely

"Adopt… me?"

Max nodded and muffled a yawn. Eddie had been repeating this question over and over without rest for the past three hours. It seemed she was delusional.

"Me?"

"Yes, Eddie, you!" yelled Alec, jumping to his feet. "Or do you think she meant the stray dog living down the street?" He paused and looked at Max. "By the way, Max, when were you going to discuss this with me?"

"I was getting around to it!" protested the female X5 half-heartedly. "Besides, it's one less kid to worry about, huh? And who else but Eddie here would you suggest we take in?"

"Well, I was thinking someone who's not _four years _younger than you_!_" shouted the other X5, narrowing his eyes.

"She's _six_ years younger than _you_," countered Max with a sweet smile.

"Don't push it." He ran his fingers through his hair.

Eddie watched the exchange like a tennis match, but when it seemed the game had come to a still she spoke, "Okay."

Max and Alec didn't appear to hear her as they revived their argument. "What's wrong with adopting her? Come on, Alec!"

"What, Max? You're stealing my manly pride from me so early! It's not as simple as just moving her in our apartment and having everything honky-dory all the time. What if she doesn't want to? You've put her in a bad spot!"

"Did you ask her, Alec?"

"OKAY!" Eddie suddenly screamed, holding her hands up. "I said 'okay.'"

Max and Alec looked at her, stunned. Their jaws dropped with almost audible creaks.

"Is that a bad thing?" The anomaly suddenly looked sheepish.

"No, no! Just fine," said Max quickly. She stood and hugged the girl happily. "Are you sure?"

"Uhhh… pretty sure." Eddie tucked a strand of disobedient hair behind her ear, turning to Alec. "I… I hope it's okay with you, too…"

Alec grinned and shrugged. "No problem, kid. Just know it'll take me awhile to adjust, okay?" He looked at Max. "By the way, I called Logan. He's kinda busy, so we'll meet up with him later this week. Alright?"

"Got it." Max glanced at the clock, then turned to Eddie. "You need to get ready for school."

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School for transgenics was not a happy occasion. None of them looked forward to, and none of them enjoyed a second of it. Most of them had already learned everything they were taught, but the state government had decreed that the 9-year-old X8s couldn't go to college, even if they had the intelligence. In fact, for 'safety purposes,' every transgenic attended the grade appropriate for their age. Eddie, having just turned 17 with a birthday just shy of the cutoff date, was unceremoniously tossed into her senior year. It was the middle of the first semester, and there was no way any of the transgenics could manage to make bonds with Ordinaries who had been friends for years and years. The result was a brand new high school cliché—the transgenic ones.

Eddie walked down the hall with two young X5s and a few X6s, all of them on alert as the Ordinary teenagers gave them dirty looks as they passed. Her cat eyes were downcast, trying hard not to seem threatening. Already five anomalies had been thrown out of school because most Ordinaries didn't understand 'nomlie body language or expressions (also because the teachers were blatantly prejudiced against the transgenics, but none cared to point that fact out). She was fairly used to walking past Ordinaries by now, but talking to them—no way.

Eddie hated her 2nd hour, because it was the only class in which there wasn't another anomaly or X present. The two X5s broke off, cautiously walking into their classes, and soon the X6s had left as well. She ducked her head a bit as a group of Ordinary guys glared at her. She never stopped, ever. It was dangerous and stupid; two things that did not mix well.

Her class was still pretty far away when she was aware that a group of Ordinaries were following her. She listened carefully, and heard five boys and three girls slyly falling into pace behind her. This wasn't good. The anomaly picked up her pace, but they picked up theirs.

"Hey freak!" yelled one of them. "Why don't you let us have a look at that pretty little face?"

Eddie took off running, shoving people out of the way. The group immediately started after her, except people moved out of the way for them. Soon the anomaly came to the rest of the Ordinaries' group of friends, and a large brute of an Ordinary knocked her to the ground. She gasped as the air was knocked from her lungs and her head collided with the tile, causing her to momentarily black out. The eight that had been following her in the first place gathered around, taunting and jeering.

"What's your name, kitty cat? Fluffy?"

"I have a pet mouse at home. Maybe I'll let you chase it! You want to eat it, too?"

"Kitty, kitty! Have you had your rabies shot?" said a particularly mischievous-looking one—probably the leader—as he pulled a syringe from his book bag. "I'll give you a shot!"

Six of the Ordinaries held down her arms and legs and head. The anomaly tried to yell for help, but a gag was forcefully shoved into her mouth as soon as it opened. Her eyes darted around for a teacher, but she knew they wouldn't do much to stop what was happening. A large group of Ordinaries had gathered now. Where were the other transgenics? She craned her neck to look for them, and sure enough there was a commotion at the back of the crowd as a few teens who she recognized as X6s tried to push their way through.

There were so many Ordinary kids gathered around, however, that many of them turned and knocked the X6s back with their books, binders, anything they could get their hands on. Soon a small riot broke out. Teachers rushed to stop the X6s from killing the other students. Other people began to stick their heads into the hall to see what was going on, and as soon as they realized what was happening, they rushed out to help their own groups.

Eddie, still pinned to the floor, was only aware of the mischievous young man who was busily preparing to inject her with what could only be heroine. His friends were holding her down distractedly, and their grip was surprisingly strong for Ordinaries. She tried in vain to yell for help, only to have the gag pushed farther into her mouth. The mischievous Ordinary finished preparing the drug, then grabbed her arm and smirked. "Oh, but officer, she's on heroine!" he said in a high, whiny voice. "She started the fight!"

"We're going to have you take in," said one of his friends, imitating a police officer. "Ha!"

Eddie vigorously shook her head, but it was taken for fighting them and she received a swift kick in the temple. The needle was about two centimeters from her arm when a hand shot out and snatched it away. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" said a threatening voice.

Eddie strained to see who was speaking, but all she could see was the back of a girl's head and her distinctly _bare_ neck.

"What, you're defending her?" asked the young man incredulously. "She's a piece of shit, just like you, Guzman."

"Now that's not very nice," said the young woman before her foot collided with his face, sending him topping backwards.

The others, seeing their leader dispatched like a child, quickly released Eddie and pushed their way through the crowd to get away. The attacker quickly went after them, grabbing the first one she could reach and bashing her head into the lockers. She practically tossed people out of the way to get to the fleeing teens, and soon had beaten three of them to a bloody pulp with her bare knuckles.

"Yeah, that's right you little shits, run away!" called the mysterious young woman to the ones who got away. She briefly glanced over at Eddie as if to make sure the anomaly acknowledge the fact that she had been saved, then disappeared into the mob as police rushed into the school to contain the riot.

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It took an hour and a half to get everyone calmed down and into their respective classrooms. When passing period came again everyone was tense.  Half the students had black and blue bruises on various parts of their bodies, the other half had been taken to the counselor or the vice principal's office, and some Ordinaries had even been taken to the hospital after tangling with the wrong transgenics. Teachers scoured the halls with scrutinizing eyes and police were posted at every corner.

Eddie's eyes flickered across the hall curiously. It was the last passing period of the day, and she hadn't seen the young woman who had saved her earlier. Was she a transgenic? There hadn't been a barcode, but she had moved like one. Fought like one. Talked like one… and defended one. She looked down at her feet as a teacher passed, then glanced up and saw who she was looking for. 

She was leaning against the lockers, hands jammed in her front pockets, the white stick of a Dum-Dum lollipop poked out from between full lips. Thick cornrows adorned the top of her head, pulled back into a tight half-ponytail along with the hair that wasn't corn-rowed. A tan vest sat loosely on her shoulders, covering a purple tank top and showing off well-defined arms. Her head was tilted downwards, eyes pinned on her toes, and she didn't seem to have anywhere to be.

Cautiously readying herself for a punch in the face, Eddie approached the young woman, who seemed a little bit too old to be in high school. "Hey."

"You should watch who you pick fights with," she replied, remaining perfectly still.

"I just wanted to thank you. What series are you?" Eddie shifted her books, somehow feeling stupid and prejudiced for asking.

"Human." The young woman opened her eyes and stared out at the anomaly with dark brown, almost black eyes. "I don't have a fucking barcode."

"Oh…" Eddie inwardly smacked herself. "So what's your name?"

"Diana Guzman, and before you ask anymore questions, I think you should get to class." She moved her candy from one side of her mouth to the other.

Eddie looked at the clock and nodded. "Okay… well… bye." She started walking away, but not before looking back and noticing the card sticking out of Diana's vest pocket. It said _Lopez's Boxing Gym_ on it. She committed this to memory, then hopped into her class just as the bell rang.

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That afternoon, Eddie went to Max and Alec's instead of Pick's apartment. Was she supposed to move in with them immediately? Pick might be mad.

"Hey, I'm back," announced the anomaly as she opened the door.

Max was sitting in the living room opposite a man dressed in a cheap suit, smelling of cheap cologne. The X5 looked up and grinned widely. "Eddie! Great, you're just in time! We have all the papers sorted out, and he said he just wanted to hear your consent."

"Yeah, I agree to stay with them," said Eddie with a shrug.

"Then it's a done deal," declared the sleazy-looking man. He placed the documents in his briefcase and stood up. "Copies will be sent to you through the mail." He nodded to Eddie and quickly exited the apartment.

"So I can call you Mom now, right?" teased the anomaly coyly.

"Hmm… let's wait a little while for that," replied Max with a laugh. "And don't you dare call Alec 'Dad'. He'd have a fit. We all need some adjusting."

"I understand." Eddie placed her books on the coffee table and looked around. "So this is home?"

"Yeah. But we'll be moving into a house later. This place is way too small." Max chuckled and stood up. "I'm going to call Pick in about two minutes ask him to pack your things. Could you go pick them up? I hope you don't mind the rush…"

"That's okay." The anomaly shifted from foot to foot restlessly. "I'm going to head out… I told a few friends I'd meet them at the café down the street," she lied, her face full of innocence.

Max eyed her suspiciously, but didn't protest. "Alright. Be home by ten."

"Yes, Mom," mocked Eddie as she grabbed her jacket and hurried out the door, ducking the pillow Max lobbed at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lopez's Boxing Gym was pushed right up against the shore, with a good view of the heavily polluted ocean from the front. The sign over the door was covered in muck blown in from the ocean and was barely readable. Eddie wrinkled her nose at the smell of dead fish and trash that hung in the air. The inside wasn't much better. Some gyms had the right of mind to provide air conditioning and good ventilation, but this gym was stifling hot with the smell of sweaty bodies hanging in the thick, musty air. The walls, covered in mold and half-heartedly painted, had several holes in them. In the middle of the gym was a well-lit ring where two young men were currently sparring. Other boxers were scattered about, doing various training exercises or talking with their coaches. There was another room set off from the first one by a wall that looked like it was about to fall down, and Eddie spotted a smaller, cheaper ring in there.

"Looking for someone?" grunted a raspy voice.

Eddie jumped in surprise and saw an old man, leaning heavily on his cane, looking at her suspiciously. "I was… I was just…"

"Don't worry, Pedro," interrupted the familiar voice of Diana. She stepped in front of the anomaly, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just… curious…"

"Figures," Diana interrupted, smirking. "Doesn't this explain enough?" She gestured around the gym.

Eddie shrugged. "Can't I thank you?"  
  


"You already did."

"Yeah, but…"

"Pedro," interrupted Diana, rolling her eyes at the anomaly. "We're going to step outside for a second."

"Sure thing, Diana. You got three rounds with Don when you come back," he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Curiosity killed the cat," declared Diana nonchalantly as they walked down Alaskan Way, the closest street to the shore.

Eddie narrowed her eyes at her. "Ha, ha."

"What do you want to know?"

"You're just going to tell me?"

"My life is so fucked it doesn't even matter," declared the boxer, studying the cloth strips wrapped around her knuckles. "So to save us time, I'll start from the beginning." She glanced out at the restless ocean as she talked. "I was born in a bad part of New York… I'd rather not say specifically. Never had a good relationship with my dad. He beat my mom into killing herself, and I'm never going to forgive him. About two years ago I took up boxing. I won the New York Gender Blind Amateur Tournament, moved as far away from my dad as I could possible get, and almost went pro."

"Why almost?" blurted Eddie.

Diana shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. I'd always thought it was my ticket outta that hellhole… I mean, I'd dreamed about going pro the moment I started." She kicked a rock off the road. "But things changed for me." Something behind her eyes flickered, and Eddie could tell that the straight answer to 'Why almost' was a sore spot.

"Why are you at the high school?" She changed the subject.

"I'm getting my diploma. I didn't make passing grades back in New York, but I don't want to be a dropout like my dad," she said calmly. "I'm getting a scholarship to a college in town, but I have to finish high school first."

Eddie nodded, processing the information in her mind. "Sounds like you've had it harder than me."

"What, a transgenic? Aren't transgenics always moaning and groaning about how they've been mistreated and tortured by the public?" said Diana in a joking voice. "You trannies have no fucking idea what pain is. I heard you guys don't even get sent to war. You just do the jobs that no one else will do. "

The anomaly opened her mouth to reply, but could find no words to her defense.

Diana let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She rubbed the side of her neck restively. "Look, kid, you're nice and all, but I don't have time to help you work out your shit, okay? You've obviously got something bothering you. Ask your parents, your boyfriend, whatever. Don't come around here again." And with a sympathetic look, she turned and trudged back to the gym.

Eddie watched her go, irritated, offended, and lonely. She felt like a child admitting it to herself, but it had to be done… she had only wanted a friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max climbed up the Space Needle quickly and swiftly as she had done thousands of times before. The city of Seattle buzzed hundreds of feet beneath her, oblivious to her ascent of what was once a distinguished symbol in the American eye. She swung herself up onto the side of the disc-like top of the Needle, then easily hopped onto the roof. "What the hell?!" she yelled, nearly stumbling off the edge in surprise.

Standing there in a big bunch, arguing and tittering amongst themselves, was a group of transgenics. They were fighting over who was the first to get to the Needle, because none of them wanted to share it.

"Hey!" Max shouted as she approached them. They ignored her. "Hey!" she repeated, this time louder. Nearly exploding with anger, Max cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed, "HEY!"

The transgenics, most of them Xs, stopped their squabbling and turned to look at her.

"I was here first," said one of them, crossing his arms indignantly. "You should all leave."

Max ran up and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground. "No! None of you were here first! This is _my_ place to go and think about how shitty life is! I have been coming here since I was ten years old, so none of _you_—" She glared around at them "—have any claim to it! Is that clear, or do I have to toss you all over the edge?"

Wide-eyed, the X slowly nodded his head.

Max took a moment to regain her composure, startled yet pleased at her own reaction to their invasion of her most sacred spot in the city. "Now, if you'd please climb back down in a calm and orderly manner and never come here again, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Like obedient puppy dogs, the transgenics walked over to the edge of the Needle and climbed back down soundlessly.

As soon as the last of them had disappeared over the edge, Max sat down, pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her chin on top of them. _It's going to be a looong lifetime…_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: So what'd you think? Did my muse get revived? (again, thanks to Hearns) Do you miss Pick? Should I pursue with my development of the character Diana? Do you like what I'm doing here, giving the transgenics a 'normal' life (for the time being)? Hmm? Hmm? Please tell, me, I really want to know. Thanks!


	3. Domestic Wildcats

**Disclaimer:** I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

**_***PLEASE NOTE***_** I changed Chapter 1. They're not living in San Francisco anymore. They're in Seattle. I can't even remember why I had them go to San Francisco.

A/N: I HATE neglecting my characters (which I have been…)! I feel so ashamed =( And I know I've been sort of dragging my feet with the plot of this story, but pleeeease be patient with me. Please? Pretty please? I will get all the characters into the story at one point in time and work out all the little bugs that I left after the Siege in due time. The Familiars will make their (brief) appearance, somebody will get pregnant, blah, blah, blah… This is only chapter **3**. Patience, my friends =D

H a p p i l y   N e v e r   A f t e r 

By 

B R I N 

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a persistent one!"–Albert Einstein

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Chapter 3: Domesticated Wildcats

"Pick?" Eddie stepped into the apartment that, for a short time, had been her home, and looked around. "Are you home?" She walked into the living room and placed her keys on the coffee table, wrinkling her nose at the day-old pizza box with a fly-covered slice sitting inside. Pizza was Pick's main diet, with hamburgers here and there. He figured that if transgenics don't get fat and don't have heart problems, then why eat healthy?

"In here," he called.

Eddie wandered into the kitchen and spotted him underneath the sink fixing a pipe. "What are you doing, Pick?"

"There was a leak," he replied, before putting the finishing touches on his work, which included several dishrags, wet cement, and a paperclip. "That'll fix it." He crawled out from underneath the sink and wiped a hand across his sweaty forehead. "Hey baby."

Standing up on her tiptoes, Eddie gave him a light peck on the lips and then moved past him to the refrigerator. "Did Max call you?" She opened the door and peeked at the empty shelves disapprovingly.

"No, why?"

Eddie almost slammed the door on her head as she whirled around to look at him. "She… she didn't tell you…?"

Pick crossed his arms over his muscular chest and shrugged. "No. I haven't heard from her in awhile, actually… How's she and Alec doing? I mean, Alec's helped me a lot around the apartment lately." He gestured to the once-brown walls that now had a clean coat of baby blue paint on them and the newly-tiled floor.

"Um, they're great," replied Eddie with a nervous little chuckle.

"Oh yeah, I have something to show you!" Pick exclaimed, his smiling widening excitedly.

"What?" Eddie laughed as he started bouncing on his heels like an impatient child.

"It's a surprise. Wait here while I get it ready," he said, taking off his baseball cap and putting it on her head before running off towards the bedroom.

Eddie turned towards the direction he had gone, hugging herself nervously. Max had said that she would call Pick first thing and tell him, so that things between Eddie and him could be a bit smoother at their next meeting… This was bad. Their first fight hadn't been too pretty, but she had no idea how he would react to this. Angry? Sad? Happy? She didn't feel too good about leaving him to live alone, either. After Hank and Junky had…

"Okay, ready!" Pick called from the bedroom, interrupting her thoughts.

Blowing a strand of hair from her eyes, Eddie wandered into the living room to find Pick standing in the hallway leading to the bedroom. "I thought you said it was ready," she said.

Grinning devilishly, he held up a handkerchief. "The finishing touch."

Eddie eyed him suspiciously, then shrugged and allowed him to blindfold her. "Don't you do anything perverted," she warned him playfully as his strong hands, resting on her shoulders, lead her towards the bedroom. "And don't run me into any walls."

"Don't worry about it, babe," he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her neck. "I won't do anything…" He tickled her side, causing her to skip away from him and nearly collide into the wall.

"Pick!" she yelled, blindly swinging for him and managing to smack his shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry," he said with a laugh. He led her to the doorway and began untying the blindfold. "Surprise!"

Eddie gasped as the cloth fell away from her eyes, revealing what was once a shabby, run-down room with a single mattress as the bed. In place of that shabby room was a grand master bedroom with a canopy bed and nightstands with their own separate lamps. The walls were painted a beautiful shade of green, with silky white drapes hanging over the window. The ceiling had been repaired and painted over with a fresh coat of white paint, as had the door leading to the bathroom.

"Wow…" She stepped into the room, then abruptly looked down to find a beautiful oriental rug hugging the newly-laid white shag carpet. "Wow," she repeated, at a loss for words.

"I won a few bets down at the bar," said Pick as he nervously wrung his hands. "I-I-I thought the place could use a bit of touching up…"

"This is incredible!" exclaimed the anomaly, turning to face him. "You did this all by yourself?"

"Axle helped," admitted the young man with a bashful shrug. "So do you like it?"

"I love it!" Eddie jumped into his arms and kissed him.

Surprised, he fell over backwards into the hallway with her on top. "Hmm… not quite how I imagined it but okay," he joked, putting his hands on her hips.

Eddie propped herself up on her elbows and laughed. "You big lummox."

"I'm hurt," he replied, poking out his bottom lip. "But if I'm a lummox, that means you're an imp."

"Oh shut up." Eddie kissed him again, then rolled off of him and went to sit on the bed. Her mood went from giddy to sour as she realized he had done all this for them… but it wasn't her fault that she was leaving, right? She didn't have a choice.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he took a seat next to her. 

"Um… Pick, you know how Max and Alec had that meeting with Social Services?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, they said that all transgenics under the age of 18 need to acquire legal guardians and…"

"…Max and Alec want to take that responsibility for you," Pick finished for her.

"Yes." Eddie let out an exasperated sigh. "And I sort of have to move in with them…" She bit her lip, waiting for his reaction.

Pick stared down at his hands, which were resting in his lap, without expression. They sat in ear-splitting silence for a few minutes, then he sighed and said, "Well I can't say I didn't expect it to happen…"

Eddie's head whipped up. "What?"

"Look, I en't ignorant of political measures like this, unlike most other transgenics. I was the best of the best—I had to know these things. They were fixin' to put me into the political scene and eventually pave my way into the Senate or House, so I learned a lot about how society works, okay?" He stroked her face. "I en't mad."

"Really? I didn't know that…" She narrowed her eyes and poked him in the arm playfully. "How come you never told me?"

"You didn't ask," he replied with a grin. "And don't poke me."

"Oh really…" Eddie's eyes twinkled mischievously. She poked his leg. "Poke."

Pick mock-glared at her. "You did not just…"

She poked him again. "Poke!"

"That's it!" His hand shot out and pinned her to the bed. "You want to play rough? I like girls who play rough," he joked mischievously as he towered over her with one arm on each side of her head.

"I got your rough!" She shoved him off of her and, while he tried to regain his balance, grabbed his hands and spun him around back onto the bed, where she pinned him like a lioness. "Hmm… maybe you should just… stay down."

Pick laughed and kissed her, arms wrapping around her waist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Krit sighed as he tacked the last of the fliers to a building bulletin board saying "ADOPT A KID." They had casually refrained from saying "ADOPT A TRANSGENIC" for fear no one would give them a chance. In fact, they hadn't used the word "transgenic" anywhere on the flier… He put the staple gun back into his pack and grabbed his car keys from his pocket as he stepped outside the building, nearly colliding with Brin.

"Hey," she said, grinning up at him.

"Yo! I haven't seen you in a few weeks, little sister. What're you doing all the way out here?" he asked, referring to the fact that she was currently living in Olympia.

"Oh… I was just visiting Zane," she replied innocently, shifting Ben from one hip to the other.

Krit eyed her suspiciously, but said nothing more of it. Instead, he tapped little Ben on the nose and held his arms out, laughing as the toddler slid into his arms like a doll. "Why hello there! How ya been, buddy?"

"Pfffoo," he replied as drool dribbled down his chin.

"Not quite talking yet, eh?" Krit tickled the toddler's chin and put his free arm around Brin's slim shoulders as they began walking down the street towards his truck. "How old is he again? I can't remember exactly… with all that's been going on lately…"

"Almost a year," she said with a shrug. "He can say 'Mama' and a few other slurred things…"

"Does he say 'Dada' yet?"

"Nope… he doesn't have a Dada yet," reasoned the female X5.

They reached Krit's newly-purchased pickup truck, a 2002 Lightning, and he said, "So where's your car?"

"A few blocks down. We were taking a walk."

"You wanna ride back?"

"Nah… I'll be fine." She took Ben and hugged her brother tightly. "See ya around."

"Yeah…" He watched her go with curiosity, then remembered that Syl had wanted him to be home early. He hopped into the driver's seat, turned on the engine, revved it a few times, and then sped off with the loud rumbling of his engine and the squeal of tires.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie lay with her head lying on Pick's arm, watching the TV that Alec had loaned to them—they had refused to receive it free. They were currently watching an old sitcom called Ally McBeal. Pick had turned it on to see a dancing baby one day and they had watched it together every Wednesday night ever since. The catlike anomaly sighed and shifted her head, closed her eyes. The bedroom window was cracked open an inch or two, allowing the sounds of the city streets below—sirens, fires, loud music, yelling—to drift inside.

"How was school?" asked Pick as a commercial for Pepsi came on.

"Got attacked by a mob of angry kids on heroine," she said nonchalantly. "You?"

Pick closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Did they do anything to you? Did they _touch_ you?"

Eddie shrugged, sensing the anger coming off him in waves. "Nothing happened, really. They just held me down—" She stroked his arm as it tensed "—and this girl stepped in to save me. That's it."

"X6?"

"Human." Eddie lifted her head to catch his expression, which was blank. "I talked to her again after school… she's rather nice, if you can get past the exterior."

"Have you 'gotten past the exterior'?"

"I'm working on it."

Pick shook his head. "I don't like it… you watch yourself, okay?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jondy opened the door to her apartment and strolled in, tossing her keys onto the coffee table before heading into the kitchen to raid the fridge. However, she hadn't taken two steps across the cheap linoleum when she noticed that the dinner table was covered in a red cloth with a  white rose sticking out of a glass vase in the middle. There were two candles on either side of this rose, and two china plates had been set out with napkins neatly folded on top.

"Dinner, milady?" a husky voice whispered in her ear.

The female X5 turned around and narrowed her eyes at Zack, who was holding an expensive-looking bottle of wine with a lazy grin on his face. "What are you up to, Mister?" She poked him in the chest with her forefinger.

"Can't I treat my faaavorite person in the whole wide universe to a nice dinner?"

"Alright, who are you, what have you done with Zack, and what do you want?" she asked, taking a step backward. "Fraud!"

Zack laughed and placed the bottle on the table. "You want the truth?"

"Damn straight, Mister."

"Alright then… are you sure?"

"ZACK!" She whacked him on the side of the head, narrowing her eyes to slits.

A stupid-looking grin resting on his lips, Zack fell to one knee and pulled a tiny black box from his jacket pocket. "Jondy Scott… will you, please, please, please marry me?"

Jondy's jaw dropped with an audible creak, her hand flying to her heart. The color drained from her face and for a moment Zack was sure she was going to faint, but she somehow regained her composure and managed to croak out something akin to "Hell yeah!"

Zack's smile stretched from ear to ear as he wrapped his arms around her waste and picked her up to spin her around. What he hadn't counted on, however, was the cabinet being right there, and accidentally banged the back of her head on it. "Oh shit!" he said, instantly putting her down and examining the spot. "That was graceful."

To ecstatic to care, Jondy simply brushed him away and declared, "I'm ready to eat that dinner you offered. And afterwards…" She stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear, causing a bright-red blush to creep into his features.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Pick?"

"Yeah?" He tilted his head down to look at her as he played with a lock of her long dark hair, which was spread over the bed like a silk blanket.

"Ever get lonely?"

"No… I got you, baby," replied Pick. "Why?"

"I mean, you don't hang with Axle so much anymore… like the friendship you had with…" Here she faltered, but after a moment she managed to go on, "Hank and Junky. It was different than the friendship you have with me. Do you miss having _that _kind of friendship?"

Pick took a moment to think about that. "Well… of course I miss them…" He looked at her face and, seeing as it wasn't the answer she was looking for, reiterated, "Yes, I do miss having my guys around. They were my boys, my posse. If you'll forgive me," he smiled at her hopefully, "they were the ones I went to with most of my problems. Not that I never went to you or anything…"

Eddie laughed and kissed his bare shoulder. "Yes, I understand." She licked her dry lips and rolled over onto her back, off his arm. "I think I'm going to talk to that Diana girl again. I just need… female presence in my life. Can't be Max, can't be Syl or Brin or Jondy… they act too old for me."

"Mmmhmm, I see," Pick grinned, then they both got distracted as Ally McBeal came back on and the subject was dropped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll give you… fifty dollars for it," concluded the pawn shop owner.

"Frank, we haggle over this every single week," complained Diana, pushing the necklace closer to him. "Why don't you just give me the sixty bucks and be done with it, eh?"

"You bring a bracelet like this every week, though each time the little charms hanging off of it are different. You're either in on something I don't know about or you have lots of female relatives," grunted Frank, giving her three wrinkled old twenties.

"Let's just say it's the former and be done with it?" suggested the young woman coldly. "The latter couldn't be less true, anyway."

Frank shrugged and took a bite off his Butterfinger bar. "Oh well, but if I get in trouble because you're selling me faulty goods then you're coming down with me, Missy!" he called as she left the store.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"HimynameisX8-999butyoucancallmeJennieJonesbecausethat'swhatmyfriendJoeyJacksoncallsme," said a little girl in one breath, her smile stretching unnaturally wide. She had dirty blonde hair that was probably strawberry blonde when it was washed and large, bush baby-like blue eyes. Her cheeks were a rosy color and she couldn't have been more than three feet tall.

Max stared at the little imp, disturbed by this tiny girl's lung capacity and the elasticity of her mouth and the surrounding muscles. "Okay… Jennie… thank you," she said slowly, then turned to look at the crowd of potential parents sitting behind her—all transgenics. "Anyone?"

A blonde woman, probably from the older batch of X5s, raised her hand. "I'll take her."

Surprised and pleased, Max nodded. "Okay. Head into the back room and Alec will take care of everything for you."

Jennie smiled up at the blonde woman and jumped into her arms happily. "Areyougonnabemymommanow?Ineverhadamamainmylifedidjaknowthat?Ithinkwe'regonnagetalongreallywell,Mama.CanIcallyouMama?"

Max cringed, then sighed in relief as woman and child disappeared into the other room and the chattering stopped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How's my girl today?" Krit bent over and picked up little Eve, who was trying to roll around the floor like a barrel. "Syl?"

On cue, Syl emerged from the bedroom with a soiled baby rag slung carelessly over her shoulder, her blonde hair pulled back into a loose bun. "Hey, you!" she exclaimed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Did you finish posting the fliers?"

"Yeah. I ran into Brin, too," he replied as they moved into the living room.

"Really? I thought she was staying in Olympia now…?"

"Says she's visiting Zane," answered Krit with a knowing grin. "And we all know what happens when Brin visits Zane…"

Syl punched him on the shoulder and took Eve from him. "Be nice. We all know what used to happen when Krit came to visit Syl…" She laughed as the color drained from his face. "See?"

"You told _people_?!" he cried, smacking a hand to his forehead.

"Only Jondy and Max. How the others found out, I'll never know…" She smiled at him innocently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Bye, baby," whispered Pick, leaning his forehead against Eddie's.

"It's only until I turn 18 in spring," she replied, trying to lighten the situation.

"We're going to move back to New Hope when this is over. I hear they're building new apartments over the ones the fire burned down. Nice apartments… and I'm going to get us one. Okay?" He kissed her nose. "I promise."

Eddie laughed. "Alright, whatever you say." She looked at her watch and snatched her keys from the coffee table. "Bye."

Pick kept a smile on his face as she turned and trudged out, leaving him to spend the night alone for the first time in almost a year. As she closed the door, he took a seat on the couch and looked around at the suddenly large apartment. Spring suddenly seemed far, far away…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max didn't finish finding transgenic adults their children until _late_ into the night. Not that was regretful; they had found at least fifty children homes. The couples that were anomaly/X-series were especially anxious to adopt. She couldn't blame them; after all, the widely-accepted idea was that X-series and anomalies couldn't have children together because of conflicting reproduction systems. One couple had adopted four children—two sets of twins. So she closed up the makeshift adoption agency—an abandoned room that had once housed a clothing store—and headed straight home.

Alec, who had been working on gathering up the kids all day, was sitting in the bedroom at his desk looking tired as hell and filling out forms. Since the air conditioner had broken, he was sitting without his shirt in a pair of red-and-white-polka-dotted boxers. His hair was ruffled from running his fingers through it in frustration—something Max often saw him doing—and his muscles were tight with stress.

Sneaking up behind him, Max laid her hands on his shoulders and caused him to jump in surprise. A few papers flew this way and that. "Hello, stranger," she said with a laugh.

"Veery funny," he replied indignantly. "Work out well at the agency?"

"Yep. Fifty-two kids!" declared Max proudly. "Thank God for anxious young adults."

Alec laughed and kissed her on the head. "Eddie stumbled in here a few hours ago and went to sleep in the guest bedroom. Forgot to bring her stuff over, but we can forgive her, right?"

Max took off her belt and unbuttoned the top three buttons of her collared shirt. "Of course we can. I'm going to see if she's okay. Be right back."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie was sleeping like a baby as Max entered the room. Instinctively, the young woman was curled into a ball with her tail lazily swishing in front of her nose. The X5 walked over to the side of the bed and noticed something grasped in Eddie's paws. She bent down and peeked at it a little more closely, chuckling softly as she realized what it was.

A picture of Pick.

TBC…

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A/N: *Phew* I'm so proud! I had lots n lots of characters in this chapter! If you're bored, don't worry… There will definitely be some action in the next chapter. And by action I mean fighting… violence… you know, Dark Angel action. =)


	4. Catfight

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

Summary: The darker side of the transgenic blend into society breaks through.

A/N: Hoorah! Hoorah! There's some violence in this chapter! =D And please, please, please visit my new website, dedicated to this story! I've made some animations that I'm extremely proud of!

http://brin734.tripod.com/neverland

****

Thank you!

****

H a p p i l y   N e v e r    A f t e r 

****

By

BRIN, proud member of the Fellowship for Hot X5s 

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Chapter 4: Catfight

Eddie found out the next day at school that the kids who had attacked her had been suspended for 45 days. She was genuinely surprised that the principal would actually punish them for what they did, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth either. Instead, she walked the halls a bit more confidently to try and seem less helpless; less of an easy target. The Ordinary teenagers were a bit more wary of the transgenics after the riot, but their segregation didn't increase or decrease because of it. The teachers, too, were a little sterner with the violent looks the two sides gave each other. Nobody dared touch the cat anomaly strutting down the hall with a group of X-series around her.

And the day passed like this, cautiously and calmly. By the time the bell rang to let them out of school, Eddie felt almost comfortable with her surroundings. Perhaps it was the idea that she had survived yesterday? Whatever it was, the anomaly was feeling pretty sure of herself as she walked from the school. 

But then… she saw Diana… and suddenly felt very small.

Diana was leaning against a tree talking on her cell phone, her exotic face twisted with anger and frustration. "What the hell do you mean?" she was saying, trying to keep her voice down, but not succeeding too well.

Eddie peeked both ways to make sure no one was looking, then crept over and sat on a bench a few yards away.

"Look, I don't have the time to deal with this… Adrian, I'm serious!" A long pause. "Adrian, are you crazy? I have a life, too. You can't do this. Adrian? Adrian? Shit!" Diana hurled her phone into the bushes, then groaned as she realized what she had done and went to pick it up. It had landed between two unpleasant-looking bushes that stuck Diana's arms with razor-sharp thorns as she reached for her phone.

Eddie winced as she spotted the bright red streaks trailing down Diana's forearm, then quickly turned around as the other young woman stood and made her way back to the tree.

The phone began ringing as Diana pulled strands of grass from it and sat down with her back resting against the tree trunk. "Hello?" she put it to her ear, ignoring the blood that was still trickling down her arms. "Adrian…" Here Diana stopped and her eyes darted upwards, catching Eddie staring at her before the anomaly could turn away. "I'll call you back. Yeah. Bye."

As soon as the anomaly realized she'd been caught, she gathered her things and tried to hurry away, but Diana was right behind her.

"You spying on me now? You think I don't see you?" Diana grabbed Eddie's shoulder, turning her around so they were face to face. "What the hell is it that you want from me? Huh? What, you think I got something for you?"

Eddie narrowed her eyes and felt the hair rising on the back of her neck. "Do you always treat people like this?" She shoved the Ordinary back, but had to use more of her strength than she had expected… Uh oh.

Diana quickly regained her balance and stood straight as a board, fists clenched stiffly at her sides. Her eyes, narrowed to slits, were blazing with fury at being touched, nevertheless _shoved_ by someone smaller than her. Her powerful legs were tense and slightly bent. She was ready to spring and fight if Eddie so much as breathed the wrong way. "Don't you ever touch me again! And don't you ever, EVER fucking shove me like that. If you do… I'll knock your head off. Don't think I can't do it. I'm _not _afraid to hurt people."

The cat anomaly gulped. Diana had hit the nail right on the head—Eddie was afraid to hurt people, especially Ordinaries. That was why she had had to be saved earlier…

…but maybe she could make an exception this time…

"You got that?" barked the young woman, holding a finger to the anomaly's face like an adult scolding a child.

Eddie stared at the finger in her face, then took a step forward, intentionally invading Diana's obviously large personal space bubble. "Can I do this?" she asked angrily. She dropped her books on Diana's foot. "How about this?"

And then—WHAM! Eddie staggered backwards and fell onto her butt, shocked and surprised. She put a hand to her throbbing cheek then looked up at Diana, who was glaring at her from a few feet away. She shaking out her hand to try to get the numbness to leave her bleeding knuckles. "That was totally avoidable," Diana announced, picking up her things and heading off in the other direction.

Furious, the cat anomaly jumped to her feet and barreled after her. The Ordinary turned around just in time to sidestep, allowing Eddie to stumble forward in surprise and flop on the ground again. Eddie immediately jumped to her feet and turned to face Diana, who had put her things down to free her hands. The anomaly hissed, the hair on her tail standing straight up, and ran forward again. This time the two clashed, with Eddie spitting and scratching and punching and kicking—anything to cause harm to Diana, while Diana was calmly taking the blows and getting punches in where she could manage.

And the strange thing was… Eddie was obtaining more damage than her opponent. She stepped back to catch her breath and looked Diana up and down as she took a breather as well. There were four distinct red scratches underneath her eye. On her arms, rows of red welts from Eddie's claw-like fingernails crisscrossed with the streaks of blood from the thorn bush. A bruise was forming on her shin and knee, but it didn't seem to bother her that much.

On the other hand, Eddie's left cheek was swollen and turning a bit purple. Her left cheek, which had also been struck, but not half as hard, was throbbing with dull pain. At one point Diana's fist had collided with the anomaly's eye, and currently that eye was swelling up and taking on a blackish color. Her head was pounding from the force of the blows, but she pushed it to the back of her mind and prepared herself.

"You're going to get yourself hurt," warned Diana as she saw Eddie ready to strike again. "You haven't been trained like I have."

Eddie imitated the way Diana was holding her hands up to her face, trying appear like she had had some training in boxing. "Yeah, well I've got more power than you do," declared the anomaly.

Diana started moving around in circles, knees slightly bent and feet always in motion. "Power's half the story." She caught Eddie in the face with a left jab, then withdrew as the anomaly tried to retaliate with an awkward, uncontrolled swing. "You can stop, you know."

"_You_ can stop," spat Eddie in reply. She swung again, this time firmly connecting with Diana's… hand. She had been blocked. This wasn't right! Ordinaries can't fight transgenics! Infuriated, Eddie leapt forward like a wildcat (no pun intended) and resumed her assault of kicking, spitting, punching, scratching, and biting.

Looking a bit amused by the anomaly's fighting 'style', Diana caught both of Eddie's hands and kicked her square in the knee, causing her to topple to the ground.

"Cool it!" shouted the Ordinary angrily. "What's your problem?"

Stubborn as always, Eddie rose to her feet and shook off the pain. "Come on!" She swung again, but this time with careful aim and attempted control.

Diana ducked under Eddie's arm, moved to her side, and bashed her on the side of the head in one fluid motion. The anomaly's head snapped to the side from the force of the punch and she crumpled to the ground like a rag doll. Diana spat on the ground, then grabbed her things and walked away.

And Eddie wasn't too eager to follow her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So you got in a fight at school… and nobody saw you?" Max shined a light on Eddie's bruised face, occasionally clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

"Nobody except the girl who popped her in the face," interrupted Alec half-consciously. He looked up as he realized that Eddie and Max were staring at him and frowned. "Did I say that out loud?"

Max shook her head and returned her attention to Eddie's swollen face. "How in the world did you get yourself into this?" She rubbed some ointment across the anomaly's cheek and let out a deep breath. "Looks like you got into a fight with a Familiar."

"Yeah, who or what did you tangle with, exactly?" asked Alec as he filed through some papers.

"It was an Ordinary," said Eddie slowly.

Max and Alec's jaws dropped simultaneously. A few of the papers Alec was holding slid to the ground.

"You're kidding." Max looked like she was going to fall over.

"Nope. An honest-to-goodness Ordinary." She looked down at her toes, which were suddenly extremely interesting. "5' 6", about 126, named Diana Guzman."

Alec's eyes lit up. "Diana Guzman? _The_ Diana Guzman?! Tell me about her!"

Eddie shrugged. "Uhh… She's a boxer, if that helps…"

"I think I need to sit down." Alec flopped on the couch next to her, feeling his forehead with the back of his hand. He pinched himself, flinched, and spoke, "You… got into a schoolyard fight… with _Diana Guzman_?"

"Yes, I told you that already. What's so great about it?"

"Great?! Nothing's _great_ about it!" Alec cried with an Oh-my-gosh-don't-you-realize-who-we're-talking-about look on his face. "Diana Guzman can't get expelled or she won't go to college and then won't be on ESPN! You're lucky she didn't kill you, anyway!"

Max narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "You're a fan, I assume?"

Alec looked at her and calmed down a bit out of necessity. "I have been a fan of Diana Guzman since I witnessed one of her matches! I saw her win her first tournament—the New York Gender-Blind Amateur—totally live. She's awesome! I thought she was a transgenic at first, but she didn't have a barcode. Ever heard of Muhammad Ali? Well, she coulda taken him. Most likely couldn't have beaten him, but coulda held her own. I was eating dinner in Joshua's when the news came about the wreck and—"

"Wreck?" Eddie interrupted his rambling. "Whaddya mean?"

"Oh, she was in a car crash about eight months ago. I think it was… yeah, it was two days before she was going to announce her decision whether or not to go pro. Well, anyway, she's totally blind in her left eye from a chunk of metal permanently damaging it, and when they took her to the hospital they found out she had miscarried her baby, which no one knew about up until then. Horrible, sad stuff," said Alec solemnly. He grew a little sad and continued sullenly, "Took her three months to recover, and she announced she wasn't going to go pro. Everybody knows that a half-blind boxer can't compete professionally, so no one could blame her. Pissed the hell outta her boyfriend, though. Former boyfriend now, of course."

Eddie stared at him with wide eyes. "Really…?"

"Yeah, but enough of that poor girl's personal life." He rubbed his hands together and attempted to change the subject. "Does it still hurt?" He gestured to her face.

"Like hell." Eddie resisted the instinctive urge to touch her throbbing cheek.

"Alright, come with me. I got some remedies that'll clean that right up." He stood and grabbed his keys from the table. "We'll be back in five minutes, Maxie, okay?"

Max nodded and smiled as Alec leaned to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't pick up any tormented young female boxers while you're out there."

"I won't," he said dutifully. "Bye, Maxie."

"Bye, Mom," teased Eddie before ducking out the door behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alec drove them to a small gym in the heart of the city; one of the gyms he had practiced at during an undercover op for Manticore. Eddie noticed that Alec visibly relaxed as he stepped inside, something he usually only did when Max came into view. It was definitely in better shape than Lopez's Gym—sparkling clean and lemony fresh, too. The boxers were bigger, probably stronger, and probably older, too, but there wasn't that same feeling of passion for the sport as there was in Lopez's. Some of the boxers even looked bored.

"Yo Johnny!" called a deep, Italian-accepted voice.

"Hey, Matt, how ya doing?" Alec shook hands with an older man, somewhere in his early fifties.

Matt laughed and stepped back, looking Alec up and down. "But your name ain't really Johnny, is it? Eh? It's Alec. I watch the news, contrary to popular belief."

Alec tensed. "Yeah…" He took a protective step backward towards Eddie.

Noticing this, Matt shifted his body a bit and peeked around Alec at the anomaly. His eyes widened until they were practically bugging out of his head. _"L'cOh! Che cosa è questo?"_ He smacked a hand to his forehead and stumbled back. _"Nonlo danneggi!"_

"Whoa, whoa!" Alec held up his hands as several of the boxers looked up from their training exercises. "She's not going to hurt you. This is my daughter, Eddie."

The color drained from Matt's face. "Your daughter, _capretto? _That's impossible!"__

"I adopted her yesterday, Matt. She is, by law, my daughter. You are not going to lay a hand on her, and she is not going to lay a hand on you. Got it?" growled Alec, his voice becoming dangerous and quiet, emerald eyes flashing threateningly. "Do you understand, Matt?"

"Aye, I understand," he replied cautiously. "So… what're you doing here? I hear your boxing days are over."

Alec put a hand on Eddie's shoulder and gently pulled her forward. "Eddie here got into a fight at school. I need something to help her with the pain."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Matt led them into a back room, which was filled with things like gloves, extra shorts, tape and strips of cloth for training, medical supplies, and things like that. Surprisingly, Matt continued through this room into another room, this one much smaller and kept under lock and key. It held a small stove, cupboard, a water tank, and a small refrigerator. The Italian man went to the refrigerator and pulled out a box. Inside this box was a corked beaker of liquid, a bottle of honey, and some cayenne peppers.

"That's not aspirin," complained Eddie, the smell of the poorly-ventilated room aggravating her headache, which was turning into a migraine.

"Aspirin is not good for headaches," explained Matt as he got a pot of water and put it on the stove. "It only brings it back worse than before."

Eddie watched him disdainfully as he turned on the stove, then pulled a Styrofoam cup from a bag on top of the fridge. He put some more water into this cup and sprinkled some of the cayenne peppers in it. "Drink this," he grunted, handing her the cup. "All of it."

She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but at the stern look she got from Alec, downed the entire cup anyway. By the time she was done with this, Matt had pulled a spoon from the cupboard and poured some honey on it. He handed her the spoon and she reluctantly licked it clean, then repeated this step. The anomaly really hoped he was done with his little remedies, but alas…

He pulled the bubbling water pot off the stove and got a plastic bowl from the cupboard. He poured the water into this and said, "Put your hands in there."

Eddie's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. I'll burn!"

"No you won't, now do it," instructed Alec.

Sighing to herself, Eddie thrust her hands into the steamy hot water.

"Thanks, Matt," said Alec as the man turned to leave.

"No problem, Joh… Alec," replied Matt. "You know what to do from here."

Alec nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So you used to box?" asked Eddie, taking a large bite out of the hot dog Alec bought her from a traveling vendor.

"Yeah. Just amateur stuff, though."

"Ever fight her?"

"Who?"

"Diana."

Alec laughed. "Nah, never. She would've beaten the shit outta me, anyway."

"Oh really? Why do you think that?"

Alec took a bite out of his own hot dog. "Because that girl trains at least five hours a day, runs four to six miles every morning, and hasn't a weak muscle in her body. And she's been doing this for two years. You see, we transgenics don't train too much and we never did because we believe we'll always be superior. If we trained like she does, we'd probably be tenfold stronger than we are now. That's just how it works."

"So you're saying she's as strong as a transgenic?"  
  


"Strong as one, but not as fast as one. That's the key." He stuffed the last of the hot dog in his mouth.

"Isn't that a bit… worrying? That an Ordinary is as strong as you?," asked Eddie.

"No. It's pretty damn entertaining." He paused long enough to wipe his greasy hands on his jeans. "So your headache gone?"

Eddie thought for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah, pretty much."

Alec grinned back. "Yep, that's what I thought. Matt usually doesn't give you all three treatments, but I guess he thought you needed extra."

"I thought those remedies were just wives' tales."

The X5 opened his mouth to reply, but just then their beepers went off simultaneously. They pulled them out and checked the number:

**_321-841-739-473_**

****

"Hostage situation," said Eddie, replacing the beeper on her belt.

"Two X6s, three X7s," added Alec as they began to turn around. "Possible outside forces."

"Let's go." They ran back to his car, jumped inside, and sped off, tires squealing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max, Pick, Zane, Zack, and Jondy had just arrived by the time Eddie and Alec showed up at their designated meeting place—an air field. The two transgenics hopped out of the car and went over to the group while loading their M-16 automatics. A helicopter was being propped for takeoff for them while they went over the situation.

"Okay, local Transgen officials say that these people demand to see Max and Alec," began Jondy as she slipped a knife into her boot and fastened her bullet-proof vest. "Their claim is 'the only ones who will understand are the ones who went through it themselves.'"

"Basically, we got five Xs caught in a bad situation. Transgen witnesses say that they were being assaulted by several young men when one of 'em got trigger-happy and shot one of the Ordinaries in the leg. The man's not dead, but apparently these kids are scared outta there wits. They think that they're going to be punished for this—Manticore style," added Zack.

Alec, who hadn't had time to arm himself yet, was currently sitting on the ground strapping handguns and artillery to himself, along with his bullet-proof vest. "You think that's the truth? We all know both sides can and will twist the truth."

"We'll see when we get there." Zane slipped some bullets into his revolver—one which he had received from his childhood employer and never left at home when he went on a mission.

They looked up as the helicopter blades started turning. The pilot, a young man in his mid-twenties, exited the cockpit and went over to them, holding out his hand. "Hi, I'm Hank. I'll be your pilot today."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zane glanced around the helicopter, an old Apache, and slowly drew in a breath to calm his nerves.

"You okay?" asked Zack, noticing the pallor of his brother's face. "Zane?"

The younger X5 looked up at Zack and shrugged. "Yeah. Fine."

"How's Brin and Ben?"

"What makes you think I'd know?" replied Zane quickly… a little too quickly.

"What makes you think you have to hide it?" Zack put his hand on Zane's shoulder. "Come on, buddy. You can tell big brother Zack."

The ends of Zane's lips twitched a little, but he refused to smile. "Nothing. She just stayed over last night with Ben."

"Uh huh. And what happened to that love struck puppy dog look you both had back in TC?" Zack prodded.

Zane shrugged. "Just one of those off and on things."

"You're worried about Ben," declared the older X5 in a peremptory voice.

"Of course I'm worried about Ben. The kid's the most important thing in my life, aside from her," said Zane irritably.

Zack smiled and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Well there you go."

"She's not the type to settle down," stated Zane, more to convince himself than Zack. "I mean, she survived over five months on the streets, pregnant, and mentally unstable from Manticore."

"Yeah. Sounds like she's going to need a bit of help." Zack smiled and began scooting away towards Jondy. "I wonder who could possibly help her…" He laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max, her head resting on Alec's shoulder as they settled in for the thirty-minute helicopter ride, smiled across the way at Pick and Eddie, who were in very much the same position as them. "Isn't that cute?" she whispered excitedly. "They're so cute!"

"Max, they can probably hear you," replied Alec quietly. He kissed her on the head. "And I don't refer to things as 'cute' unless I'm mocking Logan."

"That's not nice," said Max half-heartedly. "Anyway, they _are_ cute."

Alec looked out the helicopter at the setting sun, refusing to agree. "You know Jondy and Zack are getting married," he commented nonchalantly.

"Mmhmm," Max replied in the same tone.

"In April," Alec continued. "It's gonna be in Florida."

"Yeah. Jondy told me over the phone this morning."

"Zack mentioned it while we were filing adoption forms."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Alec looked at Max. Max looked at Alec.

"Remember back in New Hope when… when I asked you if you wanted to settle down?" he asked quietly, stroking her hand.

"Of course."

"Well… I was thinking, ya know, seeing as how we might be moving into a house soon…"

"ZACK!"

The scream from Jondy jolted Max and Alec out of their trance-like state. Their heads whipped around to check for some kind of emergency—but found none. Instead, they found Zack, with both hands on Jondy's shoulders, holding her out towards the door of the helicopter as if he was going to push her.

"Tell him the truth!" Zack shouted as he swung her back and forth. "Right now!"

Jondy yelled as she was pushed forward, her head hanging out of the chopper. "Okay, okay, okay! I was the one who stole your cupcake! I did it, I did it!" she wailed ashamedly.

Max laughed as Zack put Jondy back on the ground. They were referring to an incident that had occurred when they were 6. One of the cafeteria staff members had given them all cupcakes to celebrate something or other—they later found out it was Christmas—and Zane's disappeared the moment he looked away. It was a mystery that had remained unsolved for years… until now. She looked back up at Alec and kissed his nose. "We'll talk later."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time they reached the crisis area, which was in southern Oregon, the sun had set and the moon was nowhere to be seen yet. They were led from the air field to a humvee, which carried them downtown to a large apartment building. Gathered all around were people shouting, screaming, jeering, toting signs…

Max shivered as Terminal City at its worst flashed into her mind. Fire everywhere, bodies strewn about like rag dolls… She started as Alec put his hand on her shoulder.

"Max? You okay?" he asked.

"Fine… fine," Max replied, shaking the feeling of dread from her head. She climbed out of the humvee, nearly stepping on top of a tiny man with flaming red hair.

"Whoa, watch it lady!" said the young man bitterly. "I'm Captain Joe MacDonald, and it wasn't my idea to call in you guys so don't even think about getting smart with me."

Max rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, sir," grumbled Zane sarcastically.

Capt. MacDonald glared at them, obviously not happy with the idea of a bunch of transgenics running in and doing his job, but didn't press the subject further. "Alright, you have full control of the situation. Do what you gotta do."

"Such a pleasant young man," said Jondy once the captain was out of earshot. "Don't you agree?"

The others chortled amusedly, but then Max stepped up and issued instructions, "Alright, people. Keep your earpieces in at all times. We don't want any nasty surprises. Jondy, take a sniper position. Zack and Zane, you guys find a way in. Pick go with Alec to scout out the roof. Eddie, you stay with me. Got it?" She looked around as they nodded, then clapped her hands together once. "Alright. Get to it, then."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Hmm… if I hadn't ended it there, this chappy woulda gone on forever. School's a bitch, you guys, and I have so much homework it's not even funny! U_U *sniffle* lol. If you would review, I would be ever so thankful =D


	5. Runed

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

Summary: The X5s handle a potentially dangerous hostage situation, and Logan has some interesting information for Max…

A/N: Just watched 3A.M. starring Danny Glover and Michelle Rodriguez (ha, ha go figure). Freaky movie! O_O I don't recommend it unless you're a hardcore fan of Danny Glover.

A/N 2: Broke my foot. I'm in pain. The characters will suffer (lol).

****

**Happily Never After**

****

By****

**Brin**

_To be a genius is to be misunderstood._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 5: Runed

Zack slinked across the building, gun held tightly to his chest, as Zane kept watch behind him; they were back to back. One of them would periodically check above for any kind of surprise attack or signal from the others. Zack's heart was pounding against his ribcage. The situation had little explanation as to what was going on inside, and that was the most dangerous kind. Here was where all their training came together; where it made sense and was needed to make ends meet. This was where their skill was defined.

They scouted around two sides of the building before coming to the back door. Its knob had been blown off, but a swift kick from a chimera would send the weak wooden threshold flying. Standing on either side of it, they looked at each other and exchanged an argument with mere glances and gestures. Zane didn't like it; Zack thought the location of the door would come in handy later on. In the end, they decided to check around the last side of the building.

Sure enough, they found a side door. This one also had the knob blown off; the Xs inside hadn't wanted any Ordinary entrance and taken careful measures to secure the building… but the fault of being trained in the same facility, under the same commanders, is the habits of training that the commander teaches. Zack and Zane knew Lydecker's training habits up and down… and they knew how to bypass them.

Zack gestured with his left hand, telling Zane to go around to the back door and blow it out using a small grenade, then return to this door for breaching. Zane nodded, pulled a hand grenade from his vest, and headed off towards the back of the building. The older X5 waited a few minutes, then heard the satisfying CRASH of the grenade exploding and brick falling everywhere. Zane came flying around the corner, eyes ablaze with excitement and bits of building on his shoulders, and they entered the building.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The initial explosion almost sent Pick tumbling off the roof, but Alec grabbed a hold of him and they steadied each other while bits of brick and metal rained down a few feet away.

"Well, looks like Zack and Zane got in," commented Alec nonchalantly.

Pick chuckled nervously as they moved across the roof to the large, protruding glass sunroof in the middle of the building. It would be incredibly stupid of the Xs to keep their hostages inside such an easily-accessible room, so their entrance would have to be a little less evident than that of Zack and Zane.

Alec knelt next to the glass prism and pulled a small silver device from his pocket. A laser. A glass-cutting laser, to be exact.

"Isn't that convenient?" muttered Pick under his breath.

"Got it for my birthday," replied Alec sarcastically. He began cutting through the ashamedly thin glass.

"It's going to drop," warned the X6.

"Don't worry, I got it taken care of," replied Alec, pulling a suction cup out of his pack with his free hand. He placed it on the glass and finished cutting, easily moving the glass away when he was through and tossing it aside. "I'm not an amateur, don't mistake me for one."

Pick narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

"You know, this isn't a good start for the whole in-law thing," grunted Alec as he tied rope to a nearby air vent and tossed it down the skylight.

"Ha, ha," replied Pick as the X5 began to lower himself into the building.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max pulled her phone from her pack and dialed the number that the local police had given to her—the number to the room in which the hostages were being held. It rang twice, then a gruff voice answered, "Talk fast."

"This is Max Guevara. You better start talking, buster, or we'll blow you to bits," barked Max into the phone. Several police turned and stared at her; threatening the kidnappers was an unheard of method. She ignored them—they didn't know how to handle Xs. "You got X5s all round."

"They were threatening to kill us. We had no choice," said the voice, softer this time. 

"What have you done with the hostages?"

"Tied 'em up. They're sitting on the floor facing the wall."

"You know you'll have to be punished for this, right?"

There was muffled conversation on the other end, then another voice, clear and melodic, came over the line, "Don't let them hurt us, please. We didn't mean it. What will be our punishment?"

"Rules were set forth the moment we were freed of Terminal City. Kidnapping will result in the scattering of the lot of you around the country, three years separation, constant community service during that time, a hefty fine, and two months in jail. And that's the least we could get," replied Max. "But if you harm any of those Ordinaries, it'll be life in prison, no bail. You have to realize their perpetual fear of us."

Eddie approached, holding a high-powered walkie-talkie, and made several hand gestures, _They have infiltrated the premises._

Max nodded in confirmation, then returned her attention to the phone as the young woman on the other end began speaking again, "Okay, but if two of us are married… do we have to split?"

"Married couples results in escalated punishment in the other areas. You'll have to be separated from the others for four years, five months in jail, a larger fine, and about twice as much community service," warned Max carefully. "But we won't separate the two of you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pick and Alec silently crept down a dusty hallway, an ominous corner before them. Pick was at the front, Alec taking up the rear. They tensed as they came to the edge of the corner, then abruptly jumped out into the open.

"AAAAH!" Zack yelled at Pick. Pick yelled at Zack. They would've shot each other if their reflexes were any slower, but when they finally realized what had happened they fell against the wall, hearts pounding.

"Don't DO that!" growled Zack. He and Zane had been standing behind the same corner, and had jumped out at the same time as Pick.

Zane and Alec, on the other hand, were unsuccessfully trying to muffle their hysterical laughter at seeing two grown X-series screaming like little girls. They received indignant glares from their comrades and managed to stop laughing, but the wide grins remained on their faces.

"This is serious," scolded Zack, regaining his composure. "Come on."

The four of them traveled down the hall neither had checked, stopping when they came to a door at the end of it. They broke back into their two groups, standing on either side of the door, and listened.

"No deal!… You can't separate us for that long, and we'll get killed in jail with all the Ordinaries! You know it! The guards will beat us to death!… How are we gonna come up with that kind of money?! No! No, there's no deal. Come up with something better."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max cursed as the line ended. This was bad, very bad. She glanced over at Eddie, who was talking to the boys of the operation, and approached. "What's going on?"

Eddie removed her headphones and said, "The room is on the south side of the building. There's a small window there. Jondy could probably get a clear shot if she was in the right position," replied the anomaly before putting her headphones back on. "They're waiting orders."

"I want them to get in, get an inside assessment of the situation, then try to bargain with them."

"And if they don't want to bargain?"

"Then attack, but don't kill them unless you _have _to."

Eddie repeated this into her mouthpiece and gave Max a thumbs-up to relay their response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BAM! Zack and Zane kicked open the doors, receiving three bullets to the chest for their efforts. However, this was the part of the mission where bullet-proof vests came in handy.

"X5-494," said Alec as he stepped into the room, disregarding the attack. "You called for me?"

The male X6 stepped up and cocked the trigger of his gun. "We won't go!"

Alec, well aware what the punishment for kidnapping was, put both hands up to signal that he wasn't aggressive. "Hey, calm down there buddy. We just came to talk, since you hung up on Max and all."

The X6 narrowed his eyes at the X5. "Fine."

"Good boy. Let's take a seat and talk about this," Alec gestured to an empty maroon couch underneath the window. "We're both men, after all. Maybe we can reach some kind of agreement?"

"Right…" The X6 took a seat next to the X5.

Zack, Zane, and Pick, however were busy watching the other X6 – a female – and the three X7s with hawk eyes. They knew that this was strictly business, but heart-wrenching realizations were coming over them. The two X7s – both little girls – were of the clone batch. One was the clone of none other than Eva, and the other… Tinga. As for Pick… both X6s had been in his unit, and after the escape he had dated the female one for about a week.

"Pick," she said quietly, dark rings under her eyes. "I see you're moving up."

The older X6 winced at the bitterness in her voice. "Uhh… yeah. Nice to see you, too, Katie."

Zane and Zack exchanged knowing glances, then approached the X7s, who were clinging to each other fearfully. "Hey. What's your designation?" asked Zane of the little blonde one.

"X7-766," she whispered, her short strawberry blonde hair falling into her eyes.

"What's your name?" continued Zane gently.

"My name's Lyra, after a girl in a book."

"Lyra. That's a pretty name."

While Zack and Zane soothed the two little ones, Alec was busily mentally and verbally arguing with the male X6 – who was just about as stubborn as he.

"You don't understand. They want to separate me and my wife from Lyra and Toni, make us pay a fine, and toss the lot of us into jail! Those girls are ten years old!" protested the male X6.

"Look, kid… what's your name?"

"Jake."

"Alright, Jake, here's how it's gonna go. Either you come quietly and do your time – and if you do come quietly there will probably be a deal established to lessen your punishment – or we can do this the hard way and me and mine can kick your ass from here to jail, where'll you stay twice as long. It's your ball," said Alec seriously, his hand resting on his M16.

"There's gotta be another way. Can't you get us out on the sly, if you get me? Come on, we gotta stick together!"

"Now, ya see, Jake, that makes me mad, because Max and I fought for transgenics and Ordinaries to be equal for _months_. During the day we didn't eat or drink or even piss, we saved it all for night so that all our working hours would be devoted to you guys. We worked our asses off to get us all integrated into society, and we're not about to go against everything we have worked for. It'd be hypocritical if we broke the law of the society that we fought so hard to become a part of and right now, since you acted out of self-defense when you shot that man, you're gonna have at least some law working on your side. So you're back down to your two choices. Which one is it gonna be, Jake?"

The X6 narrowed his eyes at the X5. "So… _if_ I let you handcuff me and drag me out there without fighting… we'll get less of a punishment?"

"If you don't, well sue," replied Alec with a smile. "Come on, whaddya say?" He held out his hand.

Jake stared at the X5 for a long time, then took his hand and sighed. "Okay, fine, but if I regret this…"

"You won't, buddy, believe me. This'll show those Ordinaries that we're civilized. Who knows, you might go down in Transgen history, eh?" Alec clipped the handcuffs around the X6's wrist and led him towards the door. "Alright, people, let's go. Party's over," he called to the hostages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when both the hostages and the transgenics emerged from the building unharmed. Max grabbed Alec's hand and didn't let go until they were on the helicopter back to Seattle. A few X5s had agreed to take care of the X6s and X7s until everything was settled. The helicopter ride back was much less tense, and the transgenics had a lively chat about everything from the latest president to Pre-Pulse movies.

"Okay… anyone ever heard of Ali, starring Will Smith?" asked Zane, both thumbs up. "That was awesome."

"I liked him in MIB better," commented Alec with a shrug.

Before they knew it, they were back in Seattle again. Zack and Jondy headed home, Zane went over to Brin's, Eddie and Pick excused themselves to go to the latest romantic comedy, but Max and Alec still had work to do – a meeting with Logan. They drove over to the Foggle Towers and rode up the elevator in silence.

"Ready?" asked Alec.

"Always," Max replied, taking his hand again.

They reached the top floor and Logan let them into the penthouse. He looked ragged and tired; there were dark rings under his eyes and his hair was getting long again. His stubbly beard was longer than usual, and unwashed dishes cluttered the sink.

"Logan… are you alright?" asked Max, resisting the urge to feel his forehead. "You look sick."

"I'm fine, Max," he said nervously. "Umm… Alec said you needed me to find parents?"

"That's right."

"Okay, I've got a list of nationwide potentials that I think you'll want to check out," said Logan, handing them a packet of papers. "I think that'll be enough."

"This… this is great!" exclaimed Max as she looked through it. "Thank you."

"Yeah, anytime…" He bounced from foot to foot nervously. Something was obviously bothering him.

"Logan, are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should get some sleep, we'll take things from here," said Max gently. "You look tired."

"Uhh… Max, I was wondering… have any new runes appeared?"

"Well, yeah, they've been coming and going. I've just been so busy lately…"

"Did you take pictures like I asked?"

"Yeah, of course. Um, Alec mailed the latest batch to you last week, right?" She looked at Alec for confirmation and he nodded.

"I've decoded them all together, and I think you're going to want to see this…" He gestured for them to follow him and they ventured over to his computer, buzzing away like always. They stood behind him as he opened several folders on his hard drive and then opened a single document. "Alright, so I've been working on this for awhile now, and I think I've got the translation pretty much perfect."

Alec leaned down and read the words aloud, "When the shroud of death covers the face of the earth, the One whose power is hidden will deliver the helpless. This power unleashed upon the enemies of the world will devastate all, unless shared with the two missing parts of the triangle – the two souls intertwined with the One. With the three souls combined, the darkness will be destroyed by the light."

"So what does that mean?" asked Max.

Logan removed his glasses and rubbed his eyelids. "It means that in order for your powers to work, you have to find two souls who, without you, Max, wouldn't exist."

"I'm still not following."

"Alec, what would you do if Max died in a car wreck tomorrow?"

Alec's eyes widened and he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Die of a broken heart."

"Okay… so Alec's part of this freaky cult thing too?" Max looked perturbed.

"Well, according to your DNA analyses, you two are perfect for each other in every genetic way. In fact, I can tell exactly what your child will look like according to this report." Logan brought up the analyses of the blood samples Max and Alec had given him for research. "Your children will have brown eyes, maybe brown-green if you're lucky, dark blonde hair, Max's skin tone, Alec's cheekbones, Max's nose, and Alec's lips if it's a boy – Max's if it's a girl."

"Wait… why are you talking about children?"

A look of irony came over Logan's face and he laughed a bit before saying in a slightly embarrassed voice, "Max, in order for this prophecy to come true you're going to have to be pregnant."

THUD.

"Max? Max?" Alec and Logan stood over the unconscious X5. "Well maybe she's more like Eddie than the thought, eh?" mused the male X5 with a wide grin.

"I should've seen that coming," replied Logan, trying to hide his smile. "You think we should leave her like that?"

"Maybe we should at least move her to the couch."

TBC…


	6. Between You and Me

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

Summary: Despite Logan's recent prediction, Max finds time to head out and party with her siblings – ending with a surprise from Alec.

A/N: Phooie, the weekend is over U_U (as of now as I write this, at least)

**Happily** **Never** **After**

****

By****

Brin 

"My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher." - Socrates (470-399 B.C.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 6:** **Between You and Me**

"Okay, okay, okay… let me see if I got this. I have to get _pregnant_ for this prophecy to come true… and not only that, but I have to get pregnant and be pregnant _while_ I save humankind?" Max repeated weakly. Her face had long since lost all its color, but was now taking on an unattractive shade of green.

"Yes, it's all here in the runes. What's more, the symbol – the Caduceus – on your hand is a stick with two strings around it, right? Well, I'm assuming that you, Max, are the stick and that Alec and this baby are the two strings," explained Logan like a teacher talking to an insolent child. "You've gotta accept what's going on here, Max, because you are 'The One,' like in all those Pre-Pulse movies – and you're not getting out of it."

"But Logaaaan," she whined, "Are you sure you haven't… misinterpreted it?"

"Look at me, Max. I haven't slept or showered in a week. I think I've got the translation pretty much word for word, although I'm assuming it's not done yet because prophecies tend to be longer."

"You've been watching too many Pre-Pulse movies," complained Max. She turned to Alec with nervous eyes. "What do _you_ think?"

"I think…" He leaned close to her. "I should go brush my teeth."

Max shot him a glare that would've made any normal person faint, but not Alec, and shoved him off the couch. "You idiot! This is all your fault!"

"What? You aren't even pregnant yet and you're _already_ blaming the kid on me?!" he cried, eyes glittering with sarcasm.

"I hate you."

"No you don't. Why's it my fault?"

"Because—" Max poked him in the chest "—if YOU hadn't… hadn't…" She wracked her brain for an answer, but found none so instead she said, "It's just your fault because I say it is."

Alec laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. "Max, you're acting like a little kid. Come on, it's not that bad."

"I thought guys don't very much enjoy their first kid because it makes them feel like they're losing their manliness?" snapped Max, crossing her arms as Alec began leading her to the door.

The male X5 looked over his shoulder and mouthed 'See ya,' to Logan as they exited the penthouse and stepped onto the elevator. "I should be insulted. You don't want to have a little Alec running around?"

Max groaned. "Two of you…"

"Yeah, we'll drive ya crazy… and then there's Eddie. She and Pick have been getting awfully close lately. As a proper Mother, you'll have to plan their wedding and…"

"Shut up," growled Max as they reached the ground floor and got off. "I don't see how you find this humorous."

Alec moved forward and began walking backwards in front of her so that they were face-to-face. "Look, Maxie, you just gotta see the bright side of things. We get to save the world and have a kid together at the same time."

"Yes, Alec, but if our future baby is part of this big prophecy then the Familiars are going to be out to get kill him too."

Alec stopped walking, allowing her to run straight into his chest. "You just said 'him.'"

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not, Alec!"

"You did too say 'him'! You think we're going to have a little baby boy, eh?" Alec put his hands on her hips. "Well, I bow to woman's wisdom."

Max laughed and briefly kissed him on the lips. "Let's go home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they arrived at their apartment, Max opened the door and was surprised to find the living room pitch black. "That's funny," she commented. "I didn't close the blinds before I left…" She turned on the lights and—

"SURPRISE!"

Max shrieked and jumped into Alec's waiting arms.

"Happy birthday, Maxie!"

"Holy shit," said Max under her breath as Alec set her back down on the floor. She regained her composure as she looked at the people in the room.

Syl, Krit, Eve, Zack, Jondy, Pick, Eddie, Axle, Joshua, Pandora, Mole, Dix, Leg, Zane, Brin, and Ben.

"You guys… I'm going to kill you!" exclaimed Max with no seriousness whatsoever as she threw herself into Zack's open arms.

"Happy birthday, little sister!" He spun her around a few times, then handed her over to Krit, who did the same.

"All this for me? It's not even my birthday!" said the young X5 with a wide smile. "I can't believe you did this to me!"

"We all know how you love surprises," joked Jondy, hugging her sister tightly. "After the party, we're going clubbing," she announced mischievously. "I hear an X5 opened a new club down by TC. It's gonna be awesome, and for the grand opening transgenics get in free with fifty percent off on drinks!"

Max laughed. "Okay, whatever you say, Jondy. You're the expert on bars, after all."

Everyone exchanged hugs and then they sat down for Max to open her presents. She felt a little embarrassed as the center of attention, but this was the first _normal_ birthday party she ever had – and she wasn't going to let her flushed cheeks ruin it.

Mole gave her a box of Cuban cigars. Dix and Leg gave her modified hovercrafts that had been programmed as watchdogs. From Jondy and Zack she received an "Econo-Toaster/Microwave/Food Processor In One" (it provided them all with a good laugh, since neither Max or Alec could cook). Brin and Zane gave her a new, better leather jacket. Krit and Syl gave her several hundred dollars. Eddie and Pick, being tight on cash, got her movie certificates. The last present she opened was Joshua's, and he had set it up on an easel at the back of the room. It had a blanket over it.

"Alright, Josh, whatcha got?" asked Max as he led her over to it.

"I-I-I painted Little Fella with Alec," replied the dog anomaly. He walked behind the painting and then proudly pulled the cover off.

Max's eyes lit up as she saw it. It was an oil painting of her and Alec standing together. Alec was kissing the top of her head. The painting, unlike some of Joshua's works of Annie, was mostly composed of black and amber-colored blotches that formed their faces.

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Max, throwing her arms around the dogman's in a crushing hug. "Thank you, Joshua!"

Joshua smiled and replied, "Welcome, Little Fella."

The party lasted an hour or two more, then Mole, Dix, Leg, Joshua, and Pandora headed out. Pick stayed a little longer to make sure he had thoroughly given Eddie enough kisses to last her the night, along with an especially long good-night kiss, then he returned home. Eddie stayed up since she was going to baby-sit the children while the parents went out and had fun.

"Alright, so you've got all the emergency numbers and the bottles and everything?" repeated Syl for the umpteenth time as the other X5 females changed into their 'night clothes.'

Eddie nodded. "Yes. I have the numbers of the fire department, poison control, Dr. Shankar, the police department, the old lady who lives downstairs, your cell phone numbers, and the bar's number. In this baby bag—" She held up the particularly heavy blue bag with sheep all over it "—I have bottles, diapers, a pacifier, band aids, that powdered milk stuff, baby books, etc, etc. Don't worry, Syl, everything will be okay."

Though she looked unsure, Syl nodded and went over to Krit, who was hiding his amusement. "Evie will be fine," he assured her, wrapping his arms around her waist comfortingly. "Take deep breaths."

"We've never left her alone before," said Syl, looking down at their daughter as she rolled around in her playpen.

"Honey, Eddie is a cat. Imagine Evie is a kitten. Eddie will take care of her like a mother cat would okay?"

Syl narrowed her eyes at him. "You think this is funny, don't you?"

Krit laughed and held his hands up innocently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know Zack and I were thinking about having the wedding sooner," announced Jondy as she removed her shirt.

"Nice tattoo," commented Max nonchalantly of the angel wings across her sister's shoulder blades. "Why would you want it sooner?"

"Well," Jondy stepped out of her pants, "My biological clock is ticking. I feel older than I really am and I have finally convinced Zack to try and have a baby after the wedding. So the sooner the wedding…" She giggled like a schoolgirl and picked up a black halter top from the floor. "What's it like? Being a mom, I mean?"

Brin looked up from unbuttoning her shirt and shrugged. "I dunno. I imagine it'll be a whole lot better to have a baby with someone you actually have feelings for instead of a nameless X5." She removed her shirt and put on a tank top. "But anyway, it's great having a kid. You know how they always talk about 'unconditional love' on all those Pre-Pulse TV shows and stuff? Well, that's how much your kid loves you. They are totally oblivious to the world; the fact that I'm a genetically engineered killing machine, I had a baby out of wedlock, and I don't have a job won't bother him the least bit."

Jondy laughed and pulled on a tight pair of black pants. "So, how do I look?"

"Great," said Max as she put on a one-shouldered top and a pair of jeans. "So what's going on between you and Zane anyway, Brin?"

Brin, who had her back to them, pulled on a white t-shirt and tight pants. "I have no idea. One minute he's hot, then the next he's cold… I don't understand him."

"Eh, he's just scared." Jondy sprayed herself with some light perfume and then handed it to Max. "All guys go through that little phase. He'll grow up… eventually. Then you'll have him around your finger. Trust me on this."

"You guys are so lucky. You get happily ever after and everything before you're twenty-five," said Brin, turning around and pulling her hair up.

"Pfff, you call married to Zack a happily ever after?" joked Jondy. She applied some lipstick, then clapped her hands together triumphantly. "Alright, I'm ready to go."

"Me too," piped Max.

"Almost done." Brin put on some lip gloss, then hair-sprayed her hair into place. "Okay, let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bright lights, loud music, beautiful people, and lots of drinks composed ninety percent of _Free_, the newest bar in Seattle – owned and managed by a male X5 named Twiggy. There were three bouncers, all of them dog anomalies, and they seemed to have only one preference – transgenics. It was unlikely that any Ordinary would dare go into the club, even with a group of friends to back them up, so basically almost everybody was allowed inside.

Not one transgenic in the entire nation didn't know the faces of the X5s that attended the grand opening party that night, and many of them took off their hats as the famous X5s passed, while others bowed or whispered thankful words. Max felt like a messiah – and didn't like the attention one bit. If it was going to be like this the entire night, she wouldn't have come in the first place.

"It's just a phase. It'll pass," whispered Alec when he sensed her tension, his large hands resting on her hips as the group maneuvered through the crowd towards the dance floor.

The band was nameless, the members X5s, and they had no songs of their own – they only performed Pre-Pulse requests. The band considered it an ode to the Pre-Pulse greats, and they had both a male and female lead singer for whatever song should arise.

Brin whispered something in Zane's ear and, holding hands, they wove their way through the crowd towards the booth where they could make requests. The others continued forward until they had successfully shouldered their way to the middle of the dance floor. The female lead singer was front and center with a guitar.__

_"Tell me,_

_Just what you want me to be_

_One kiss and boom you're the only one for me_

_So please tell me _

_Why… don't you come around no more?_

_Cause right now I'm _

Cryin… outside the door of your candy store." 

Max turned to Alec and smiled, both arms around his neck, foreheads resting together. "You know this is the only way I wanted to spend my 21st birthday."

"Hmm?" He put his arms around her waist as they swayed to the music.__

"It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that 

_It started with a kiss now we're up to bat_

A little bit of laughs, a little bit of pain 

_I'm telling you my baby it's all in the game of love…"_

"With my family… with my one and only," she whispered, kissing him softly.

"You know a year ago I would've been lucky to get the time of day from you," replied the male X5 with a rakish grin. "Now look at us, eh? Did you imagine your life turning out this way?"

"I thought I was going to live happily ever after with Logan… until I fell in love with you and realized it would be a mistake."

"You make me sound like a home breaker…"

"More like my savior," she corrected him with a laugh. "Besides, you understand me better than anyone else."__

_"This, whatever you make it to be_

_Sunshine, set on this cold, lonely sea_

_So please baby_

_Try and use me for what I'm good for_

_It ain't sayin'_

_Goodbye. It's knockin down the door of your candy store."_

"Hey Maxie?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking…"

"Did it hurt?"

"Very funny." Alec tickled her neck bemusedly. "Look, we've bullshitted our way through this subject enough. Where do you see us in ten years, Max?"__

_"It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that_

_It started with a kiss now we're up to bat_

_A little bit of laughs, a little bit of pain_

_I'm telling you my baby it's all in the game of love_

_It's all in the game of love."_

Max closed her eyes. "I see us living a happy life somewhere where we won't be bothered by reality – out in the country, perhaps – with a big house with horses and cows and a golden retriever and a fat old tabby cat named Fluffy."

Alec chuckled and kissed her nose, continuing with, "I see kids playing in the fields with their nieces and nephews – Eddie's kids." His eyes twinkled mischievously. "And two happily married X5s sitting on the porch."

"Shit, this is definitely going down as a Kodak moment," mumbled Max, burying her face in his shoulder in embarrassment. "You got me started, now I'm going to cry…"

"Me too," said Alec with a laugh. He pawed at his eyes with one hand and chortled some more, "Oh this is pitiful. Two X5s reduced to tears by thoughts of living in the middle of nowhere with cows!"

Max laughed, hugging him tightly.__

_"You roll me, control me, console me_

_Please hold me_

_You guide me, divide me into what_

_So please tell me _

_Why… don't you come around no more?_

_Cause right now I'm _

_Dying… outside the door of your lovin store_

_It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that_

_It started with a kiss now we're up to bat_

_It little bit of laughs, a little bit of pain_

I'm telling you my baby it's all in the game of love It's all in this game of love, it's all in the game of love." 

"Hey guys, we're going to get a drink," said Jondy as she shoved her way through the crowd. "You up for some margaritas?"

Max looked at Alec and winked. "Hell yeah! Let's go!"__

_"Roll me, control, me _

_Please hold me_

_Now here am I on my own, on my own…"_

The song ended and a wild applause erupted from the crowd. The band simply smiled back at them and switched singers to the male one. Immediately, they started up again.__

"Somewhere there's speaking 

_It's already coming in_

_Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind_

_You never could get it_

_Unless you were fed it_

_Now you're here and you don't know why_

_But under skinned knees and the skid marks_

_Past the places where you used to learn_

_You howl and listen_

_Listen and wait for the_

_Echoes of angels who won't return."_

"Four margaritas," Jondy said to the bartender.

"You know I'll never understand how you ended up becoming a bartender, Jondy. It's one of the most exposed jobs you could have," commented Max nonchalantly.

"I worked at gay bars, Max," replied the older X5 with mischievous eyes. "I didn't think Lydecker would be in one of those."

"You never know!" interrupted Alec.

The two women laughed, then handed the bartender some money as he gave them their margaritas.__

_"He's everything you want_

_He's everything you need_

_He's everything inside of you_

_That you wish you could be_

_He says all the right things_

_At exactly the right time_

_But he means nothing to you_

_And you don't know why_

_You're waiting for someone_

_To put you together_

_You're waiting for someone to push you away_

_There's always another wound to discover_

_There's always something more you wish he'd say."_

"Hey, Zack and I are going to go play some pool, alright?" said Alec before giving Max a kiss on the head. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

"Alright, but we're heading over to Yansii block soon," replied Jondy, referring to the street in the west side of Seattle that was the equivalent to Burbon Street in New Orleans. "So don't be long!"

"We won't," said Zack as he followed Alec away.

Jondy and Max made their way over to a couch in a secluded area in the bar. Syl soon appeared from the crowd to join them, followed by Brin, who had a wide smile on her face.

"Tequila?" asked Jondy, pointing with her chin at Brin's glass.

"As if I would drink anything else," the other X5 replied. She took a seat on the overstuffed armchair opposite the couch, while Jondy, Syl, and Max, sat on the couch.

"What song did you request?" asked Max.

Brin winked at her and answered, "Something."__

"But you'll just sit tight 

_And watch it unwind_

_It's only what you're asking for_

_And you'll be just fine_

_With all of your time_

_It's only what you're waiting for_

_Out of the island_

_and into the highway_

_Past the places where you might have turned_

_You never did notice_

_But you still hide away_

_The anger of angels who won't return."_

"I'm really glad you guys are here," declared Max seriously. "I don't know if I could've done this without you."

"Aww… tear," joked Jondy, making a trail down her cheek with her finger. "Naah, I'm just kidding little sister. Group hug!"

The foursome laughed as they piled onto Max, giving her half-sarcastic kisses on the head and cheeks.

"No really, you guys! I was just so totally swamped with guys – Joshua, Alec, Logan, Mole, Dix, Leg – you guys are my _savior_ from the nasty-smelling socks and territorial drama." Max pushed them away laughingly.

"Oh come on, Little Sister, you know you love it! Alec fawns over you, Logan wishes he could fawn over you!" exclaimed Jondy, munching on a cherry. "But I guess you could regard us as heroes if you wish… I don't have a problem with stardom…" She flipped her hair over-dramatically and batted her eyelashes.

"Shut up!" said Syl, pushing Jondy off the couch. "You're such a dork."__

_"I am everything you want_

_I am everything you need_

_I am everything inside of you_

_That you wish you could be_

_I say all the right things_

_At exactly the right time_

_But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why_

_And I don't know why_

_Why_

_I don't know."_

"Ah yes, a dork… that'd be me." Jondy winked at them, then jumped up to sit on the arm of Brin's chair.

They were paying little attention to the music as it ended, but as soon as the next song started up – 

"OMIGOD! Brin, you rock!" yelled Jondy at the top of her lungs as she rushed down to get Zack and drag him to the dance floor.

The alternative rock beat pulsated over the crowd, causing heads to turn and the dance floor to become flooded with people.__

_"This is who I am and this is what I like_

_GC, Sum, and Blink and MxPx is rocking in my room_

_If you're looking for me I'll be at the show_

_I can never find a better place to go_

_Until the day I die, I promise I won't change_

_So you better give up."_

Max smiled and jumped up from the couch, dragging Syl and Brin with her. "Come on, this is our song!"__

"I don't wanna be told to grow up 

_And I don't wanna change_

_I just wanna have fun_

_I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

_So you better give up_

_'Cause I'm not gonna change_

_I don't wanna grow up."_

Jondy had successfully yanked all the men to the front stage and was currently sitting on Zack's shoulders, singing along at the top of her lungs. Alec was standing by, waiting for Max, while Krit and Zane were joining Jondy in what was quickly becoming a screaming contest.__

_"I like to stay up and spend hours on the phone_

Hanging out with all my friends and never being at home 

_I'm impolite and I make fun of everyone_

_I'm immature but I will stay this way forever_

_Until the day I die, I promise I won't change_

_So you better give up."_

Max took Alec's hand while Brin, Syl, Krit, Zane, Zack, and Jondy all sang along with the band while jumping up and down with their arms around each other's shoulders. Alec, not knowing the words, just kind of stood with Max, watching them sadly as he realized he wasn't a part of the 'family' – he was just some stranger with Ben's face.

"Just relax and enjoy the show," said Max so that only he could hear. She kissed him on the cheek and turned to the stage to sing along, sending him encouraging glances to join in.__

_"I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

_I just wanna have fun_

_I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

_So you better give up_

'Cause I'm not gonna change 

_I don't wanna grow up."_

Alec caught onto the chorus now, and started singing along in a tentative voice,__

_"I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

_I just wanna have fun_

_I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

_So you better give up."_

"Alright, this is the grand finale now. I want everyone to sing along, whether you know the words or not! It's Max Guevara's birthday tonight, and we got some transgenic pride to show her!" yelled the lead singer, sweat running down his face as he gave his wavering voice a rest from singing.

"YEAH!" replied the crowd, causing the ground to shake.

"Let's go!" continued the singer. "Happy birthday, Miss Guevara!"__

_"I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

I just wanna have fun 

_I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

_So you better give up_

_Cause, I'm not gonna change_

_I don't wanna grow up_

_'Cause I'm not gonna change_

_I don't wanna grow up_

_I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

_I just wanna have fun_

_I don't wanna be told to grow up_

_And I don't wanna change_

_So you better give up_

I don't wanna grow up 'Cause I'm not going to change! I'm not going to grow up!" 

And so the band concluded its performance. They bowed a few times then left the stage. The crowd dispersed.

"Was that awesome or was it _awesome_?" yelled Jondy, still on Zack's shoulders.

"How's that for a birthday party, huh, Maxie?" said Krit, punching her on the shoulder lightly. 

"You guys are great, thanks," replied Max, giving him a hug.

"So we're heading down to Yansii now? I know a few bartenders down there who'll get us in free," said Jondy, already striding purposefully towards the door.

"Um… I was thinking maybe I could spend a little time with Alec… you know, just because?" said Max cautiously.

Jondy froze mid-step and turned around. "Okay fine. Go be little bunnies. I understand." She winked and looped Zack's arm. "You guys, on the other hand, are not getting out of it so easily… Come on. Let's go!" So, now striding purposefully with Zack dragged along with her and the other two X5 couples close behind, Jondy headed out the door with a farewell, "See ya tomorrow, Maxie!" and several other 'byes' that were drowned out by the door shutting behind them.

Max looked at Alec and laughed. "Alright, so it's just you and me. Where should we go?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There are a kazillion bars and restaurants within walking distance and you choose to come to the Space Needle?"

Alec grinned and shrugged as he pulled himself up over the edge. "Max, you come here all the time. I need to figure out why it's so special. Come on, tell me the secret of the Space Needle."

Max grabbed his head and turned it out to face the city of Seattle, seemingly quiet and peaceful so many feet below them. There was no horizon tonight – the sky seemed to blend with the dark buildings of Seattle. Dark clouds that could barely be seen moved slowly across the sky. Wind drifted over the Space Needle, cooling the X5s' warm faces. Alec looked at Max, her hair whipping around her face and her dark eyes intently focused on the people below.

"Sometimes, if I stay up here long enough, I can imagine that I'm one of those people down there… going about my day without a care in the world besides the normal things. Before the whole Terminal City thing, I used to hope that if I was up here then my siblings would come and find me. We all loved high places because Ben told us that the higher we are, the closer we are to the Good Place. What do you think of it up here?" She turned her solemn milk-chocolate brown eyes to him.

"The view's great," he said with a crooked grin. "But, knowing me, I'd probably not find any use of this place… unless you were here. Remember that time… after you told me about Ben and all… when we sat up here until dawn?"

Max smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course I do. That was the first time… first time I felt attracted to you."

"Really? And here I thought you hated me up until you found out what a good kisser I am," he joked with a wink.

"You stooge," she replied.

Alec pulled her down to sit next to him. "Max, we need to talk."

"'Bout what?"

"About this." He kissed her lovingly, then grabbed her hand and slipped something cool onto it.

Max knew what it was even before she looked down and saw the diamond the size of a marble sitting on top. "Alec…" Her voice dissipated in her throat and she turned her eyes up to look into his hopeful emerald green orbs. "Alec, I…"

"Marry me?"

"I… I…" She stammered like this for about three minutes before reality came crashing down and hit her in the head like a baseball bat. "Of course I'll marry you!" 

Alec broke into a grin that looked like it would stretch is face too far and threw his arms around her. "Yes! Yes, Yes! Max, I love you!" He turned to the city below and yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They returned home to get some clothes (they were heading out immediately afterwards to check into a hotel) and smiled when they opened the door. Eddie was fast asleep on the couch with a Pre-Pulse purple dinosaur dancing around and singing ABC songs on the TV. Eva was laying on the anomaly's chest, also sound asleep, and baby Ben was lying in his crib next to the edge of the couch in much the same position as Eva and Eddie.

Max winked and kissed Alec on the nape of his neck as they moved into their room, quietly got a change of clothes and toothbrushes, then left Eddie a note on the door as they headed back out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TBC…

A/N: Almost over you guys… *laughs triumphantly*

Special Note: Okay, all you M/A-ers out there, this is an outrage! Scarlet recently got banned from ff.net for her story "Trauma" (which, btw, was THE BEST). If any of you have read it, you probably know their stupid reasons, but ff.net has gone too far in banning one of the best DA authors out there! I think we should start a petition against them to make them apologize to scarlet since she probably won't want to come back anyway. Email ideas to Gadzooks07@yahoo.com.

PS: I'm trying to figure out how to post the song "Grow Up" by Simple Plan (the song the X5s sang too) on the internet for easy download. Any ideas?


	7. PrePulsion

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

Summary: It's party time in Seattle as the transgenic teenagers decide to throw a party – a **_big _**party.

A/N: This chapter will have little to no canon X5 involvement. Since this story is nearing its end (*sob*) I felt that I needed to develop Eddie and Pick a little more before continuing. Oh yeah, when Eddie and Pick enter the antique shop… yes, I stole that scene from Birds of Prey. U_U

**Happily** **Never** **After**

By

Brin 

"Wit is educated insolence." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skipping school was not an uncommon occurrence in transgenic teenagers. The most responsible of them missed at least three days a month, skipping just because they knew everything that was being taught. The least responsible barely _attended_ three days in an entire month. After all, they reasoned, no Ordinary in his right mind would hire a transgenic when other Ordinaries were up for the job as well – or hire a transgenic at all.

Today was a special day for Transgen teens – the anniversary of the day the first X6s opened the first transgenic bar in Seattle. Of course, at the time, no one but the transgenics had known that it was run by transgenics. A party was being held in an underground bar in honor of the occasion, and it was considered 'top secret.'

Eddie, her arm securely locked with Pick's, looked around as they entered _Ditty's House of Antique's_ warily. A young man was standing at the top of a ladder placing a rusty old pot on a shelf with his back to them. Before they could say anything, he turned his head and sniffed the air.

"You _so_ did not hear us," protested Eddie.

"Of course not. I smell Pre-Pulse cologne – Dolce and Gabbana, I believe – mixed with catnip and fabric softer… and a hint of Seattle grime." The young man turned around and winked at them. "My nose always knows."

"Jason, you idiot," said Pick, shaking his head.

The blonde X6 jumped from the ladder and kissed Eddie's hand. "Hello, my kitten. I assume you've come to join the party?"

Eddie smacked him on the shoulder. "Stop it with the polite act, you ass. Why else would we be here?"

Jason winked, then walked over to one of the bookshelves. "Lord of the Flies, Hamlet, The Cay, ah, here it is – His Dark Materials by Robert Pullman. Damn good books."

"Jason, that's enough," snapped Eddie, hitting him again. "Come on!"

"Okay, you asked for it…" He pulled out a book and the shelf lifted off the ground with a groan and the whirring of engines to reveal a set of winding stairs.

"Oh this is just too medieval," grumbled the cat anomaly as they walked down the dusty steps. It wound around twice before they reached a wide, brightly-lit archway.

"Well look who finally decided to show up!" shouted a voice.

Pick and Eddie broke into wide smiles as they stepped into the room. There were five pool tables scattered about, a sitting area in the middle of the room, an arcade, a bar, and a section cut off from the rest of the room by a soundproof wall designated for watching movies. Milling about were forty to fifty transgenic teenagers – nomlies and X-series alike.

"Awww, yeah! It's NitPick and Freddie!" called a voice from the sitting area.

"Shut up, Dodd," replied Pick, walking over and hugging the blonde-haired, blue-eyed X6.

"Long-ass time, NitPick," said Dodd with a wink. "Where you been? I mean, we all know you got famous and shit with the whole 'leading New Hope to victory, narrowly avoiding the jaws of doom' shit, but _shit…_ you could've sent your regards to an old friend." He tapped his prosthetic legs pointedly.

Pick sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, frowning. He and Dodd had been on an away mission together to Italy when they were sixteen. After accomplishing the base of the mission – killing a prime minister of some South American country in his vacation home – they had been caught in the crossfire of another mission to terminate a rebellious anarchy group. The X5 on the mission was killed after terminating her target and they were ordered to retrieve her body. On the way out of the building the body was getting kept in, they were spotted and a grenade was thrown to stop them – incinerating the body and destroying Dodd's lower body. Pick, on the other hand, got out uninjured by pure luck. "Hey, I'm sorry guys. I really am!"

"He's just been movin on to bigger and better things like helping integrate us poor, helpless transgenics into American society – the equivalent to trying to mix peanut butter and milk, by the way," joked a blonde cat anomaly, her Arctic-ops boyfriend sitting a few feet away.

Eddie's eyes widened in surprise and she playfully pounced on top of the other cat anomaly – her sister Riley. Riley had left Terminal City shortly after the beginning of the siege to be a spy in Seattle's underground crime world, and they hadn't been in touch since besides the occasional 'Hey, I'm alive,' postcard. Of course, Eddie never worried about her sister, and it was the same vice-versa. Transgenics, especially anomalies, learned early in life not to worry about each other – it solved nothing. If you were going to worry, do something about it or don't worry.

"You imp! Stop choking me!" wailed Riley as Eddie hugged her tightly.

Pick laughed and, seeing as his girlfriend and the other anomalies had to catch up, walked over to the bar with his friends.

"So you hear about that norm?" asked Dodd as he took a seat on a stool, sipping his beer.

"What?" Pick tore his attention away from Eddie to look at his good friend.

"There's this norm – really hot chick I hear – who says she'll take on any tranny and beat 'em, but only three per night. Loser coughs up 1 grand," explained the blonde X6 with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Whaddya think?"

"Does she wrestle?"

"Nah, some boxer chick."

Pick grabbed a beer from the bar and took a long swig, his face blank as he thought about it. "I'm thinking… this girl has got some guts. How'd you hear about it?"

"The owner of her training gym was passing out goddamn flyers!" replied Dodd seriously. "I'm not going to miss this. I hear there'll be big bucks involved on gambling."

Pick grinned knowingly. "Alright. Let's check it out, but lemme tell Eddie where I'm going first."

Dodd shook his head as the oldest X6 walked away. "Whipped," he muttered under his breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So what've you been up to, besides kicking asses all around the black market of course," said Eddie, flipping her tail lazily as she sat on the couch opposite her sister.

Riley shrugged and swished her own tail. She was the only anomaly besides Eddie to have a tail, and hers was brilliantly colored orange, white, and black like a calico cat's. Eddie's, on the other hand, was brown with black stripes. "Well, you'd be surprised how easily criminals accept trannies. I got to stay with this drug lord in his mansion as sort of a security guard. He knew I'd be able to flush out any undercover cops or agents and things like that, and in exchange he gave me shelter, food, and kept the general authorities away."

Eddie nodded thoughtfully and replied, "Wow. So you flush out any cops?"

"Three of 'em, but I let one of those CIA bozos stay since he promised me he'd wait and bust the drug lord _after_ I left."

"So the drug lord got busted, you got free housing, and the CIA bozo got a big fat promotion, eh?" said the younger anomaly with a laugh. "You've been busy."

"Yeah well I wasn't the one all over _national_ television signing a historic treaty," pointed out Riley, grinning mischievously. "And _what_ is up with you and the X6? I mean, when I left you two were still bumbling, clumsy puppy-lovers."

Eddie smiled to herself, her tail growing still. "I'm not quite sure yet…"

Riley rolled her eyes at the love struck schoolgirl look that appeared on her sister's face. "Oh puh-lease. You and that X6 act too… civilized."

"Just because we have some Pre-Pulse class…" She ducked Riley's hand, laughing.

"Well, speak of the Devil," mumbled Riley, flashing a brilliant smile as Pick and Dodd approached them. "'Sup boys?"

"A group of us are going down to the seaside to watch this norm take on trannies for 1-g a fight," said Dodd in a matter-of-factly tone. "You wanna come?"

Eddie and Riley exchanged looks, then nodded vigorously and grabbed their jackets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Shit," whispered Eddie through gritted teeth as they turned down a familiar street with a familiar gym on it – _Lopez's Boxing Gym._ She should've seen this coming, and now she was stuck.

"Aww, this is gonna be so awesome," exclaimed Dodd as Pick parked the truck they had borrowed from another X6. "Money, money, money."

Pick laughed as he removed the keys and turned to look at Eddie and Riley, who were in the backseat. "Ready, ladies?"

"Hell yeah!" replied Riley, practically bolting out the door.

Eddie followed at a much slower pace as they walked towards the building. They paid the five-dollar entrance fee, then Dodd and Riley broke off to dive straight into the bet pools while Pick and Eddie staked out some seats. The place was full of transgenics and a few small groups of Ordinaries, but the atmosphere was tolerant.

When Riley and Dodd finally came over to sit down, a skinny man stepped into the boxing ring in the middle of the room holding a microphone. He was about to speak into it when a loud, high-pitched sound tore through the speakers. Everyone covered their ears, momentarily stunned, and the thin man shrugged apologetically before saying in a Super Bowl announcer voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lopez's boxing gym! Tonight we have our number one contender, Diana Guzman, versus any three of our transgenics guests in the audience tonight! Can I have a first volunteer?"

Hands waved in the air wildly and the announcer looked around. He pointed at a male X6 and beckoned him over. The X6 clapped his hands triumphantly, getting pats on the back from his buddies, and approached the ring. He was roughly six-foot-two, about 180 pounds, and, as are all Manticorians, buff.

"What's your name, sonny?" asked the announcer.

"My name is Ray Cortez, Sir. X6-900 at your service."

"Alright, Ray. Do you know how to box?"

"Yes, Sir. Nothing below the belt, return to the opposite corner of the ring when an opponent is down, all that good stuff. Now bring her out." He vaguely waved his hands towards the back room, where two restive brown eyes peeked out from behind a door.

"Diana, please approach the ring," called the announcer with a cheesy smile.

The door to the back room opened and a buzz went through the audience. Diana looked like a fool. She was half a foot shorter than her adversary, at least sixty pounds lighter, and, of course, female. As she went towards the ring, jaw set with determination and body tense with anticipation, she locked eyes with Eddie. They stared at each other for half a second, then both looked away.

Eddie shivered. She had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't get out of this situation without another black eye.

"Alright, let's keep this a clean fight. You both know the rules," said the referee as he stepped into the ring.

Diana rolled her shoulders a few times, briefly glancing over at her trainer, Hector, who nodded at her. She turned to watch as her opponent was fitted with a pair of gloves. After a few minutes of preparation, he was ready. They approached each other in the center of the ring. The ref stood in between them, then, when the bell 'dinged,' he said, "Box!" and stepped out of the way.

At first, the male X6 decided he wanted to milk the crowd, that this fight was nothing more than a joke. He grinned and winked at Diana, staying far enough away so that she couldn't hit him. His friends hooted and guffawed at the edge of the ring. The other transgenics in the room were also laughing at this Ordinary's plight.

Nobody but Eddie knew what this girl could do.

"Fight me!" yelled Diana through her mouthpiece. "Come on, bitch, let's go!"

This caught the X6's attention, and he turned to her with a smug grin. "What, you resorting to name calling? That's not very ladylike of you."

"Guess I never learned to be a lady," she replied, then her hand shot out so quickly that it looked like a blur, striking him in the cheek.

An uproar went through the audience as the X6 stumbled back, cheek reddening and head spinning. He steadied himself against the ropes, then turned back around and narrowed his eyes at Diana. "That was a mistake," he declared bitterly.

"Oh, silly me," she spat. "Come on, pretty boy. Let's go."

He went up and, now on full alert, got serious about the fight. What he didn't expect, however, was the flurry of gloves that met him if he got close enough for them to reach. He had never been specially trained for boxing, and it soon became apparent that her footwork was ten times better than his. She practically danced circles around him as they fought.

"Come on, where's all that energy?" mocked Diana before hitting him square in the nose. "Oops, did I hurt you?"

The X6's head snapped back and he felt blood leak down onto his dry lips. "You broke my nose," he declared, growing angry.

"Don't talk." She bashed him in the stomach then hooked his left cheek. "It leaves you open."

All this time, her footwork had been causing her to push him backwards. He soon found himself cornered – with no where to go but through Diana. She took advantage of this, using her quick hands to repeatedly hit him in the face so that he began to grow disoriented.

White flashed across the X6's vision every time she hit him, followed by blinding pain from his face. This went on for roughly three minutes before he finally decided to just wing it. He swung blindly with both hands, catching the Ordinary in the lip and stomach. This caused her to stagger backwards a bit, and he blurred forward, using his momentum to give her a full-blown uppercut to the chin. She flew backwards into the ropes, blood leaking from her busted lip.

"Ha! How do you like that?" he taunted, walking over to stand above her. "You idiot girl. You can't beat a transgenic."

"Oh yeah?" she replied, spitting blood on his white sneakers. "How about this?" She jumped to her feet and hit him _hard_ in the chin, causing his head to snap backwards again. She then punched him in the stomach. This caused the reverse reaction as his body began to spas, throwing his head forward. Using his own forward momentum to increase the force of her blow, Diana's glove connected with his face, right between the eyes were his brain was most vulnerable.

The room was silent as the X6 crumpled to the ground. The referee, who had been standing a ways off, came over and began counting.

"One, two, three, four—"

A strangled gasp came from the male X6 as he desperately tried to struggle to his feet, but it was no use. His vision was spinning, his body aching.

"Five, six, seven, eight—"

Diana's eyes were emotionless as she watched her opponent crawl on the floor, his face bloody and bruised.

"Nine, ten! The match goes to Diana Guzman!"

Silence. Utter silence. No one moved. The only thing that could be heard was Diana's labored breathing, and all eyes were upon her. She wiped the blood and sweat from her face with a towel, then spat more blood into a bucket by the ring. If she noticed the murderous stares she was getting, she paid them no attention as she talked quietly with her trainer.

"What the hell?!" whispered Dodd. "I bet a hundred dollars on that X6! This… this is impossible! She must be a Familiar!"

Riley and Pick began to agree with him and they went into a whole conversation about suing the gym, but then Eddie spoke up.

"She's not a Familiar," she said quietly.

"How do you know?" asked Dodd. "They look just like humans, just like us."

"Max told me about this. Familiars have a scar on their upper arms to signify that they are 'one of them.' Diana doesn't have one," said the young cat anomaly with a shrug. She glanced over at Diana, then said, "She goes to my school."

"Wait… isn't she the one who gave you that black eye?" asked Pick, tensing.

Eddie sighed. "If you mean the one who kicked my ass, yes. She is like a national featherweight champion, or so Alec told me."

"Well then how did she beat that guy? He was _not_ a featherweight," argued Riley.

"Beats me," replied Eddie, hiding her smile at the looks on their faces.

This time, Diana's opponent was even bigger – one of the biggest X6s, in fact. He was a seven-foot, two hundred thirty-pound piece of muscle.

Not one person in the house wasn't impressed when Diana took him down in under three minutes.

She had done quick work of him by taking advantage of the fact that she was so much smaller and nimbler than he. One minute of fancy footwork dizzied him, a minute of facial-battering disoriented him, and the last minute she targeted his ribcage, preventing him from breathing properly. One mean right hook and three jabs later, he was down.

"What the hell was that?!" cried Dodd, who had bet two hundred dollars on the X6 this time. "Come on, she's cheating!"

Her trainer, Hector, heard this and walked over. He was a proud-looking man in his mid-fifties with graying hair and a beard. "Cheat?"

"Yes, cheat!" spat Dodd with a glare.

"My friend, Diana doesn't cheat. You all outweigh her 10 to 1 in speed and strength, but there's something she has that you don't," said Hector solemnly.

"What's that?"

"Something to fight for," he replied. "You don't have loneliness, misery, or grief. At least you don't have it when you fight. Diana has those, and she channels them into her fighting. Maybe we 'norms' aren't as weak as you thought." And he walked away to argue with some more transgenics.

Dodd sat back, mollified. X6s weren't as strong or as quick on their feet as X5s. They weren't as smart as the X8s. They didn't have any specialties like the 'nomlies. In fact, they were the equivalent of X3s when it came to stats. Maybe these defeats weren't so unfathomable… "Eddie," he began, "you should fight her."

Eddie's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Come on. You know you can take her on. You're a 'nomlie. She obviously knows how to handle X6s."

"But she kicked my ass before."

"Well now you're ready for whatever she's got up her sleeve. The girl's beat. Look at her."

Eddie reluctantly turned her eyes to the ring where Diana was leaning against one of the corner posts talking to another one of the gym's boxers. She was breathing heavily, limbs sagging, sweat covering her from head to toe. Though she had easily won the second match, her opponents had gotten some pretty good punches in. Her left eye was swelling up considerably, her bottom and top lips were busted, her chin was bruised, her nose bleeding – the list went on and on.

"I didn't think it was normal for a boxer to have three matches in one night," commented Pick nonchalantly. "If you ask me, this girl set herself up for failure."

"I don't think she expects to fail," replied Riley bitterly. "But if she did get her ass kicked around that ring, I bet she'd enjoy the pain."

"Got that right. The only reason she's winning is because of underestimation and lack of practice," reasoned Dodd in a very soldier-like tone. "We haven't been in intense training in what? _A year and a half!_ That's not fair, if you ask me. I bet you she's been training nonstop for a coupla years! All we have to do is not underestimate her. We've underestimated the norms before and look what they did: they chased us into a corner, ready to kill. If we can get, say, a woman in there—"

"Because women aren't prideful and overly confident like men are," interrupted Riley, "she could win!"

They all looked at Eddie.

"No! No!" she protested, throwing her arms up into the air. "I will _not_ fight Diana!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't _believe_ I'm fighting Diana," grumbled Eddie as they fitted her with a pair of gloves and an amateur-boxer helmet. She had been picked because a) Hector wouldn't allow Diana to fight any more transgenics unless they were a featherweight b) everyone wanted to know if an anomaly could handle itself better than an X6 and c) Dodd wanted his money back.

They faced each other in the middle of the ring. Diana was also wearing an amateur helmet, which she hadn't worn in the previous fights.

"Didn't know you'd be here," said Diana almost nervously. "You with them?" She nodded her heads toward where Riley and the others were sitting.

"Yeah. The brown-haired guy is my boyfriend."

Diana looked over and whistled approvingly. "Nice."

The referee then interrupted the conversation. He looked between them a few times before stepping back and saying, "Box."

DING.

Eddie clumsily tried to deliver a right hook to Diana's cheek, but the Ordinary ducked and punched her in the stomach. The anomaly was ready for this. She had seen Diana bash the first X6 in the face as he jerked forward, so instead of jerking forward she ducked down. Diana's fist harmlessly flew over her head. Before Diana could recover, Eddie hit her in the stomach _hard._

"Uuuuggh," moaned Diana as a drop of blood appeared on her lips. She coughed once, then wiped it away and regained her composure.

_"Everybody knows a half-blind boxer can't compete."_

Eddie's eyes lit up as she remembered Alec's words. He had said that Diana was blind in her… left eye? Yes, it was her left. That meant she would have a wicked blind spot on that side unless she turned her head to see the move… and suddenly the anomaly knew how to win. She stepped right three times, causing Diana to shuffle after her, then faked with her left hand. The result was just how she predicted it – Diana turned her head to look at the anomaly's left side so she could see where the attack was coming from… and was totally unprepared as Eddie's right hand caught her between the eyes with a bone-crunching right hook.

The crowd cheered as Diana went down for the first time that night, sprawled on the ground at Eddie's feet.

"Are you okay?!" cried Eddie, growing nervous at the sight of blood leaking from her opponent's temple. "I-I-I…"

"Don't you be sorry," interrupted Diana, sitting up and ignoring the referee as he counted out the seconds. "Don't ever be sorry. I guess I can't beat you. You know my Achilles heel."

Eddie felt a little sheepish as Diana sat there on the ground until the referee finished counting out the seconds.

"The match goes to Eddie!" he announced, grabbing her wrist and holding it in the air. "You win one thousand dollars, courtesy of the gym. Thank you for coming out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the matches, people were feeling significantly better since she hadn't defeated all three transgenics. Dodd had dragged Pick away with him to head out to party with 'the guys,' as he had called them, and Eddie wasn't one to object since Pick hadn't been out with 'the guys' for over a year. She excused herself from Riley, who wasn't about to protest since she needed to go spend some time with her boyfriend and took the truck.

Eddie waited until the crowds had left, which didn't take very long, then went back into the gym. The porter was too busy counting the mounds and mounds of cash to notice her so she headed towards the back. Dirty cups and beer cans littered the floor and caused a horrible stench, but she only kicked them out of the way. Halfway to the backroom she was sidetracked by voices in the owner's office. She made a beeline for that and stood outside the door.

"…we made about $2,000 dollars tonight in admission fees, and since our workers we were the _only_ ones to bet on Diana, we made well over $10,000 from those transgenics. You were fantastic, Diana!" exclaimed an old, gentle voice.

"Yeah, but I got caught by that last one," she replied, though she sounded pleased with herself.

"That was to be expected. You were tired, she wasn't! It's all about strategy – we hold off on bets the third match and lose little while they walk away happy to at least have made _some_ money. Besides, how many girls today can honestly say they've beat up two transgenics and walked away from it alive?" continued the old man. "Now you go home and rest. You deserve a long vacation."

"Paid?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Ira. I owe you one."

"Oh, wait, wait, Diana. Here is your $2,000 prize money."

"But Ira…"

"No, no! You take it. It's long overdue. Now get outta here! Scram!"

Diana's laugh drifted from the room as she left the office, clutching the wad of bills happily. She took two steps before she noticed Eddie standing there. "Hey," she said, shoving the money into her pocket.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to mug you," replied the cat anomaly smugly. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "So I hear you guys are into the betting game?"

"Of course. How else do you think we keep open?" The older girl walked past the 'nomlie, heading towards the front door. "It's hard to keep an honest business these days."

Eddie followed her. "I'm sorry for hitting you."

Diana stopped walking and turned around. "I told you not to be sorry. Boxing is violent, don't ever be sorry for hitting someone."

"Yeah, but I'm talking about before… in the schoolyard."

"Oh, well then in that case apology accepted." She continued towards the door, only to have Eddie grab her shoulder before she could exit. "What do you want?!"

"The teenage transgenic population is meeting in Last Hope—"

"Last Hope?"

"New Hope, Terminal City, whatever you want to call it," explained Eddie.

"Okay."

"So anyway, we're meeting in Terminal City since they cleared all the buildings away and we're having this big concert. You wanna come?"

"Are you asking me on a date?"

Eddie glared at her. "That's not funny."

Diana stared back, totally blank except for the slight twitch of the corner of her lips, and replied, "Yes it is."

"Wait… was that a joke? _You_ made a joke?!" Eddie made a feigned shock face. "Call the press! You made a joke!"

"Ha, ha. Touché," replied Diana, finally breaking into a wide smile.

"You're _smiling_ now?! This is big news, get Sketchy down here!"

Diana playfully pushed the anomaly and walked out the door. Like a toddler following her idolized big sister, Eddie romped after her.

"So are you coming to the concert?"

"If I showed up at a tranny concert they'd maul me, and you know it," replied Diana, her smile fading.

"Well we can cover up the back of your neck. No one would know," reasoned the anomaly with a hopeful grin. "Please? I'm gonna be stuck there with a bunch of guys because my sister is staying home with her boyfriend."

"You're a crazy one," said the Ordinary skeptically. "But alright, I promise I'll go if you promise I won't get trampled, mauled, or mugged."

"Is this the face of someone who would let that happen?"

"I'm not going to address that."

Eddie laughed. "That's _two_ jokes! Two of 'em! In—" She checked her watch "—five minutes! You should be proud."

Diana shook her head and let her façade break once again as her shoulders shook with laughter. "Yeah, yeah. Keep this up and I'll have to pop you one."

"I'll pop you right back."

"True."

Eddie held out her hand. "Shall we?"

"Are you sure this isn't a date?"

"Ha! Three!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red floodlights dimly lit the bulldozed section of Terminal City, covered by a wriggling mass of transgenic teenagers. A large stage had been set up at the front of the mob-like mass and on this stage was the same band that had performed for Max and Co. at Max's birthday party. The music, blaring from speakers as high as a house, vibrated the ground and shook the foundations of the city. This giant party that was held every year from then on was known as _Pre-Pulsion_ and was in large part dedicated to remembering the times before the Pulse – even though no transgenic could remember the outside world that far back.

_"Hey_ _jaded_

_In all it's misery _

_It will always be what I love and hated_

_And maybe take a ride to the other side _

_We're thinkin' of_

_We'll slip into the velvet glove _

_And_ _be jaded!"_

It wasn't so much the fact that they were being disruptive and destructive; it wasn't so much the fact that they were breaking the law and no one could stop them that made the teens happy. It wasn't that they were doing something they knew they shouldn't be doing; it was the fact that they had the freedom to do it. Manticore had been their oppressor since the moment they were born – and now it was gone.__

_"My_ _my_ _baby blue_

_Yeah I'm thinkin about you_

_My my baby blue_

_Yeah I'm so jaded_

_And baby I'm afraid of you_

_Your thinking's so complicated_

_I've had it all up to here_

_But_ _it's_ _so overrated_

_Love_ _and_ _hated _

_Wouldn't_ _trade it_

_Love_ _me_ _jaded!"_

Among the older X5s, especially the ones who hadn't escaped in '09, were skeptical about Manticore's disappearance. The presence of the Centurions had been proof enough for them – Manticore still existed. They believed it was only a matter of time before it came back to haunt them, but the teens of the transgenic population thought differently. Their beliefs were that this was now, and that was to come – they would cross the bridge when they came to it. For the time being, they would make the most of their freedom. It was the only thing they really had.__

_"Hey_ _jaded_

_There ain't no baby please_

_When I'm shootin the breeze with her_

_When everything you see is a blur_

_And ecstasy's what you prefer_

_My my baby blue_

_Yeah I'm talkin' about you_

_My my baby blue_

_Yeah I've been thinkin' about you_

_My my baby blue_

_Yeah you're so jaded_

_Baby, Jaded, Baby _

_You're so jaded_

_'Cause_ _I'm the one that jaded you!"_

During the brief moments that the band shifted to play their next song, the teenagers milled about with each other – their unbreakable bonds showing through. Being soldiers together and going through what they had gone through together brought them – all of them – together in a way that others would never understand in a million years. They had seen comrades die, had been forced to kill, had suffered through training akin to that of a full-grown soldier's since they were children. Now was their time to shine.__

_"Once upon a midnight dearie_

_I woke with something in my head_

_I couldn't escape the memory_

_Of a phone call and of what you said_

_Like a game show contestant with a parting gift_

_I could not believe my eyes_

_When I saw through the voice of a trusted friend_

_Who needs to humor me and tell me lies_

_Yeah humor me and tell me lies_

_And I'll lie too and say I don't mind_

_And as we seek so shall we find_

_And when you're feeling open I'll still be here_

_But not without a certain degree of fear_

_Of what will be with you and me_

_I still can see things hopefully."_

Where Ordinary teenagers divided themselves, transgenic ones melted the barriers because ever since they had been born they had been taught one thing, both directly and indirectly from their training: "United we stand, divided we fall." The situation at Terminal City had helped as well. They had been reliant on each other for everything during that time. Cooperating with each other was the key element to their success over their enemies.__

_"But you_

_Why you wanna give me a run-around_

_Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up_

_When all it does is slow me down _

_And shake me and my confidence_

_About a great many things_

_But I've been there I can see it cower_

_Like a nervous magician waiting in the wings_

_Of a bad play where the heroes are right_

_And nobody thinks or expects too much_

_And Hollywood's calling for the movie rights_

_Singing hey babe let's keep in touch_

_Hey baby let's keep in touch_

_But I want more than a touch I want you to reach me_

_And show me all the things no one else can see_

_So what you feel becomes mine as well_

_And soon if we're lucky we'd be unable to tell_

_What's yours and mine the fishing's fine_

_And it doesn't have to rhyme so don't you feed me a line."_

Eddie smiled into Pick's shoulder as they danced. Max was going to give her hell for staying out this late. It had to be at least midnight. Alec would probably stand to the side nodding in agreement with his fiery fiancée. She turned her eyes up to see Diana had also snagged a dancing partner. The anomaly recognized him as one of the younger clones from Max's unit. She couldn't quite recall the name of the X5 who had been in Max's unit, though she did know that his named had rhymed with Zack…__

_"But you_

_Why you wanna give me a run-around_

_Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up_

_When all it does is slow me down _

_Tra la la la la bomba dear this is the pilot speaking_

_And I've got some news for you_

_It seems my ship still stands no matter what you drop_

_And there ain't a whole lot that you can do_

_Oh sure the banner may be torn and the wind's gotten colder_

_Perhaps I've grown a little cynical_

_But I know no matter what the waitress brings_

_I shall drink in and always be full_

_My cup shall always be full."_

"Think we should leave?" Pick yelled into her ear.

"No, it's fine!"

"I think I'm going deaf!"

"Yeah, isn't it great?" She laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

_"Oh I like coffee_

_And I like tea_

_I'd like to be able to enter a final plea_

_I still got this dream that you just can't shake_

_I love you to the point you can no longer take_

_Well all right okay_

_So be that way_

_I hope and pray_

_That there's something left to say _

_But you_

_Why you wanna give me a run-around_

_Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up_

_When all it does is slow me down _

_But you_

_Why you wanna give me a run-around_

_Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up_

_When all it does is slow me down."_

"Hey Eddie," interrupted Diana's rough voice.

"Yeah?" replied the anomaly, looking over her boyfriend's shoulder at the Ordinary.

"I'm heading out. See you later," said the Ordinary, patting Eddie on the shoulder.

Eddie smiled to herself as she moved away, sifting through the crowd like water through a sieve. She looked up at Pick and kissed him. "I think you were right; we should leave right about now."

Pick nodded and tossed her over his shoulder like a rag doll, carrying her from the concert like she was incapable of walking. Music followed them the entire way.__

_"I'm packed and I'm holding _

_I'm smiling, she's living, she's golden _

_She lives for me, says she lives for me _

_Ovation, her own motivation _

_She comes round and she goes down on me _

_And I make her smile, like a drug for you _

_Do ever what you wanna do, coming over you _

_Keep on smiling, what we go through _

_One stop to the rhythm that divides you _

_And I speak to you like the chorus to the verse _

_Chop another line like a coda with a curse _

_Come on like a freak show takes the stage _

_We give them the games we play, she said... _

_I want something else, to get me through this _

_Semi-charmed kinda life, baby, baby _

_I want something else, I'm not listening when you say good-bye _

_The sky was gold, it was rose _

_I was taking sips of it through my nose _

_And I wish I could get back there, someplace back there _

_Smiling in the pictures you would take _

_Doing crystal myth, will lift you up until you break _

_It won't stop, I won't come down _

_I keep stock with the tick-tock rhythm, I bump for the drop _

_And then I bumped up, I took the hit that I was given _

_Then I bumped again, then I bumped again _

_I said... _

_How do I get back there, to the place where I fell asleep inside you _

_How do I get myself back to the place where you said... _

_I want something else, to get me through this _

_Semi-charmed kinda life, baby, baby _

_I want something else, I'm not listening when you say good-bye _

_I believe in the sand beneath my toes _

_The beach gives a feeling, an earthy feeling _

_I believe in the faith that grows _

_And the four right chords can make me cry _

_When I'm with you I feel like I could die _

_And that would be all right, all right _

_And when the plane came in, she said she was crashing _

_The velvet it rips in the city, we tripped on the urge to feel alive _

_Now I'm struggling to survive, those days you were wearing that velvet dress _

_You're the priestess, I must confess _

_Those little red panties they pass the test _

_Slide up around the belly, face down on the mattress _

_One _

_And you hold me, and we're broken _

_Still it's all that I wanna do, just a little now _

_Feel myself, head made of the ground _

_I'm scared, I'm not coming down _

_No, no _

_And I won't run for my life _

_She's got her jaws now, locked down in a smile _

_But nothing is all right, all right _

_And I want something else, to get me through this life _

_Baby, I want something else _

_Not listening when you say... _

_Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye _

_Good-bye _

_The sky was gold, it was rose _

_I was taking sips of it through my nose _

_And I wish I could get back there _

_Someplace back there, in the place we used to start _

_I want something else…"_

TBC…

Wow, I really need to work on my fight scene skills (or lack thereof). Hope you liked this chapter; hope I didn't add too much cheese… *grumbles to self in dissatisfaction*


	8. Running Away

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

Summary: Don't ask me!

A/N: I don't think there is going to be any Max and Alec in this chapter. Like I said, I want to take all my characters a step further before ending this story. I really want to get this over with because I have a cool idea for the next (and most likely last) installment. Max and Alec will return for the next chapter, which will most likely be this story's closing chapter. This chapter (or at least the B/Z part) is inspired by "Running Away" by Hoobastank.

A/N 2: In case you're confused, the part of this chapter involved with Brin is directly related to my other story, _Little Almond Eyes._ Not that you guys care or anything… ;)

A/N 3: **Hearns**, my muse, suggested a lot of this chapter. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

**Happily** **Never** **After**

By

Brin 

_"Love is friendship set on fire." _- Jeremy Taylor__

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter** **8: Running Away**

Brin jerked awake as Ben started wailing in his crib. The clock said 6:00 AM. She slowly sat up and dragged her hand down her face, rubbing the sleep from her blurred eyes. After sitting there for a second or two, slightly disoriented, she stood up and looked into his crib, which was pushed up against her bed. Ben stopped crying when he spotted her, but his tiny fists were flailing around in the air angrily.

"Ohh, what's wrong, baby?" she cooed quietly, picking him up. It was then that the stink hit her. "Ah, I see. You decided to wake Mommy up with a nice mess for her to clean up?"

Ben giggled and grabbed her hair with small fingers.

"Alright, let's get you changed," announced the X5 as she walked out of her bedroom into the living room. She gasped in surprise and nearly went into soldier mode when she spotted Zane sitting on her couch holding a MacDonald's bag. "Zane! What are you doing here this early?"

He shrugged and held out the bag. "Breakfast?"

Brin sighed to herself and smiled bemusedly. "I, uh, need to tend to my son at the moment. Be with you in a second." She turned to head into the bathroom, but before she could take a step he was up and had a hand on her shoulder.

"You look exhausted. Let me take care of it for you," he said quietly.

The female X5 let out a breath and turned around. "I can take care of myself, but thanks for offering."

Zane opened his mouth to protest, but she turned and walked out of the room hurriedly. "Smooth, Zane, real smooth," he thought out loud. "Damn it." He took a seat on the couch and waited for her to return, all the while studying her apartment curiously. It was relatively large and in pretty good condition compared to most places he had seen since the Pulse. The carpet, which he assumed was once white, was now an interesting shade of gray. The walls, which were probably once a deep ocean blue color, were now a light blue shade and went well with the carpet, making it look like both were that color on purpose. Her furniture was well arranged and the place was squeaky clean. It was a stark contrast to his apartment, which consisted of old pizza boxes for carpet and cans of beer for walls.

"Zane?"

The male X5 looked up as Brin came back into the room, now holding a happily gurgling baby Ben. "Uhh… yeah?"

She shifted her son in her arms. "Still up for that breakfast?"

Zane smiled and put the bag on the table. "It might be cold now."

"That's okay. If we can run through below freezing temperatures in bare feet and a paper gown, I think we can handle some cold food," joked Brin, gently placing Ben in his high chair.

"Alrighty, cold food it is," replied Zane, his smile widening. They sat down at the table and he pulled from the bag two cups of coffee – still steaming hot. "Ah yes, hot coffee. Can't do without it."

"Decaf? I'm afraid I'm going to get back onto my former caffeine addiction."

"Of course," replied the male X5. He removed a few more Styrofoam cups from the bag and opened them. "Your choice: biscuits and gravy, 'pancakes deluxe,' or sausage egg McMuffin."

Brin eyed the food warily. "I'll take… this." She grabbed the biscuits and gravy tray and pulled it in front of her. "Thanks."

"Anytime." He chose the pancakes and dumped three packages of syrup on them. "So how've things been?"  
  


"Interesting," she replied around a mouthful of biscuit. "Well, more so than usual… What are you doing in Olympia, anyways?"

Zane swallowed a large bite and shrugged. "Came to see how you were doing, that's all. I mean, you came to visit me, I thought I'd return the favor."

Brin pursed her lips, didn't reply.

The male X5 turned his eyes to little Ben, seven-and-a-half-months-old, who was looking bored in his high chair. "Hey there, little fella," he said, gently lifting the baby from his crib. "What's up?"

Ben cracked a smile, his few teeth showing, and giggled. "Fooovooooo!"

"You know, I retract my previous statement. Ben looks more and more like you every time I see him," commented Zane nonchalantly. "What… what was he like? The father?"

Brin gave him an unsure look. "Why'd you want to know something like that?"

"Sorry, that must've sounded rude," said the male X5 quickly, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Forget I said anything."

"No, it's okay," replied Brin with a coy grin. "Cats are, after all, naturally curious animals."

Zane chuckled, unsure of what other reaction he could give.

Brin leaned back in her chair, content with a full stomach since finishing her biscuits and gravy. She watched Zane squirm in his seat for a few moments before beginning, "He was a lot like you. In fact, he was your clone."

_That_ Zane wasn't expecting. His jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out in shock.

"His designation was X5-204; your older brother. The alias he used most of the time was Wolf, and he had a pet one that followed him around the woods outside the building. That stupid mutt of a wolf wouldn't hurt a fly, and neither would his master… Come to think of it, Wolf was a lot like you, but a lot different too."

"Is that good or bad?" asked Zane cautiously.

"Mmm, good, mostly. I could not _stand_ it when Wolf went into one of his metaphorical, inspirational speeches. In fact, I was annoyed seventy-five percent of the time I was around him."

"And the other twenty-five percent?"

"Sex."

"Oh. I see." A look of relief passed over his face. "Well, at least you got something good out of it." He gestured with his chin to Ben pointedly.

Brin looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, I guess I did." She held her arms out. "I'll take him."

Zane moved to hand Brin her son, but the phone began to ring. "Oh…"

"Hold that thought," said the female X5, jumping to her feet and yanking the phone from the wall. "Hello?" … "Lisa?"

Ben grabbed Zane's finger with a pudgy little hand and made a few high-pitched sounds, trying to get the young man's attention, but Zane's eyes were fixated on Brin as her expression changed from pleasantly surprised to confused to scared.

"He's… Okay, Lisa, calm down… Yes, Lisa… I promise… I'm on my way." Brin hung up the phone and staggered back against the counter behind her, the color draining from her face.

Zane carefully placed Ben into his highchair, then blurred over to Brin as she began to collapse, catching her before she hit the ground. "Brin," he whispered, brushing back her hair. "Brin, what's wrong?"

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she explained in a quiet, strained voice, "When I got out of Manticore, a family took me in. I… I have to go… I have to go see them."

"What? Brin, why?" asked Zane.

"He's dieing!"

"Who? Who's dieing?"

"The man who raised me, Zane. I have to go see him!" She stood on wobbly legs and started walking away.

"I'm coming with you," announced the male X5, making a beeline for her bedroom door and cutting her off. "You're going to need me."

"Why?"

"I know you, Brin. I have known everything about you since we were kids, no matter how much you wanted to believe that Ben knew you inside and out. I know that when Ben was killed and his body was brought in you had to go to psy-ops."

"Who told you that?!" demanded Brin, eyes flashing.

"Lydecker."

"That ass."

The side of Zane's mouth twitched. "That's beside the point. The point is that I know you will need me there. I know how you grieve, and it's not for your benefit."

Brin stared at him long and hard, then finally caved and said, "Alright."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four hours later, after a trip on one of Max and Alec's emergency helicopters, they were standing in front of a Californian hospital with Ben wailing in Brin's trembling arms. Zane took the angry infant from his companion for fear she would drop him, she was trembling so hard.

"Are you having a seizure?" he asked, just to be sure.

"I don't have seizures. Manticore fixed them," replied Brin coldly as she shuffled up the steps and into the building.

Zane rolled his eyes and followed her, whispering to Ben, "She's a grumpy one, isn't she? Well that's okay. She's sad. We can forgive her, right?"

Ben giggled and kicked his little legs happily.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Zane laughed and tickled his feet as he followed Brin inside.

When he got inside, he found that the hospital was fresh and white, much like the ones found in Pre-Pulse TV dramas. There weren't much like that anymore, and usually they were only available to the richest of the rich. He looked left and right for Brin, only to see her disappear around a corner at the end of a hall. He followed at a quick pace, dodging an old man holding a paper cup and a pregnant woman screaming curses at her husband. By the time he turned the corner, he had lost Brin.

"Hm… your mama is good at this," he said to Ben idly. He walked down the hall, looking both ways.

About halfway down the hall, a door abruptly opened and Brin's hand shot out, dragging him inside before he had a chance to react.

"Hey!" he protested as Ben was taken from his arms. He looked regained his composure and looked up, startled to see a stranger staring at him warily.

"Is this our little _nieto?_" beamed a tall, gray-haired woman, peeking at Ben, who was staring back at her with a bewildered look on his face. "He's beautiful! And he looks just like you!" She directed the latter comment at Zane.

"Uhh… He's… I mean… I'm not," stuttered Zane nervously.

"Zane doesn't think baby Ben looks a thing like him. Isn't that right, _honey?_" said Brin pointedly.

"Umm… right. Yeah, _sweetheart,_" he returned with a hint of sarcasm.

Brin discreetly elbowed him in the side. "Mama, this is Zane. Zane, Mama Lopez."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, _hijo_," said Mama Lopez, giving him a big hug.

Zane awkwardly patted her on the back. "The pleasure's all mine."

"Let me take that baby from you," suggested Mama as she gently pulled Ben from Brin's arms without waiting for a response. "You go talk to Papa. He's been waiting for you."

"Yeah. That's a good idea," said Brin, growing solemn. She walked towards the a curtain at the back of the room. Before she went in, however, she turned and looked at Zane, who was standing there with his hands shoved into his pockets uncomfortably. She gestured for him to come over and, though he was a little surprised, he joined her. "Papa Lopez has cancer," she told him quietly.

Zane nodded. "Alright."

Brin took a deep breath to steel herself, then entered the curtained area. A woman in her early thirties was seated next to the bed, holding the hand of a shrunken old man who was nothing more than a bag of bones. Two identical young men in their mid twenties stood nearby, heads hung in silence. Sitting on a chair in the corner was another young man, about the X5s' age, whose eyes lit up as Brin walked into the room.

"Pequeñas ojas de alemendras_,"_ _Little almond eyes_, said the young man, standing.

_"_Recepción detrás, mis Pequeñas Ojas de la Almendra_,"_ _Welcome back, my little almond eyes_, said the old man quietly. "Le hemos faltado mucho." _We missed you a lot._

"Apesadumbrado no he escrito," _Sorry I haven't written,_ replied Brin, moving to the bed and taking his hand. "How is he, Lisa?" she asked the woman next to the bed.

"He's weak. The doctor said he could leave any time," replied Lisa sadly.

Brin turned and nodded her head at the twins. "Hernando. Luis." They returned the silent greeting, and she turned to the last young man. "Alex."

He smiled at her. "How you been?"

"Great," she answered quickly.

Alex stood and embraced her, placing a light kiss on her cheek. Over Brin's shoulder he spotted Zane scowling at him with a fiery look in his eyes. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Zane," said Brin, making a vague gesture towards the other X5. "Zane, this is Alex. The twins are Hernando and Luis, and she is Lisa. They're my family."

Zane felt a pang in his heart at that one. Her family. Generally, the only 'family' the X5s had were each other. Guess Brin had been more successful on the Outside than he thought.

"I'm going to go wait outside," he said gruffly.

Brin watched him go, but didn't say anything until he had exited the room. She turned to Papa Lopez. "How're you feeling?"

"Terrible," he croaked with a rueful grin. "Ah, _Pocas Ojas de Alemendras_, you have grown into a beautiful woman. We saw you on television. You are famous now."

"I don't exactly get begged for autographs," joked Brin wryly. "I should have been around more. We have cures for this now. All you need is a little transgenic medicine…"

"I have spent all the time I need here," explained Papa quietly. "You, on the other hand, have some time ahead of you yet."

Mama Lopez slipped inside. "Your grandson, _marido_."

Papa's eyes glittered. "A grandson, _mi'ja?_" He lifted a gnarled hand and touched Brin's cheek. "You see? You cannot be sad. I have lived to see my children's children. Now I can go in peace, and you will continue to shape the world."

Brin shook her head. "No, Papa…"

Mama came to the side of the bed. Ben was perfectly still, seemingly sensing the seriousness of the situation. "It is his time," said Mama sadly.

The family gathered around the bed and bid their farewells as Papa Lopez grew weaker by the second. On his last breaths he whispered, "Live well."

And then he was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zane was sitting outside the room on the floor, his head resting against the wall, his arms on his knees. His eyes drooped and he was nearly asleep when the door opened and Brin stepped out, her face pale and haggard.

"He's dead."

Zane quickly stood up. "Oh, Brin…" He reached out to touch her, but she shrank back from his hand. "Brin…?"

"I… I need to take a walk," she said, then huffed and started off.

"Brin! Brin, wait!" He followed her through the busy hall, avoiding crashing into the same old man as he walked back across the hall with his paper cup of water.

She pushed her way through a crowd of people in front of the door and bolted into the night, disappearing before Zane could even take a breath.

"Great… just great," he grumbled, looking right and left for her. "Brin?! Brin, come back here!" he shouted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He didn't find her for awhile, but when he did she was sitting in an abandoned train station, knees pulled to her chest, bottom lip quivering. She looked like a little kid, and he would've passed over her if she hadn't hiccupped, which she usually did when she was trying not to cry.

"Hey," he said nonchalantly, coming to sit down next to her. "Nice place you've picked out here."

The train station roof was covered in cobwebs, as were the walls and the rusty old tracks. It looked like a giant spider web.

"He was always such a nice man."

Zane turned his eyes to Brin, who was staring into space idly. "Tell me about them – your family."

It was hard for him to understand Brin's love for an Ordinary. All his life he had been beaten and abused both physically and emotionally by the 'normal' people of the world. He had never experienced loved outside the love that was given to him by his 'brothers' and 'sisters' of Manticore. For Brin, however, it was a different case. She seemed to love these people as much or even more than her Manticore family, and he had to know why.

"Lisa is brilliant. She makes lots of money and has five cars. She bought them all legally. One of them is this Benz that is voice-activated and has caller I.D." Brin's eyes lit up. "I crashed it into a tree once, when I was sixteen. She never even raised her voice to me about it."

"Hernando and Luis run their own practical joke production company that specializes in whoopee cushions and fake hands. A lot of people think it's stupid, but they're filthy rich and will be for the rest of their lives as long as there are young boys out there who love a little bit of mischief."

Zane put his hand on her shoulder. "You must've loved them very much… Tell me about Alex."

Brin's lip curled. "Ah, yes, Alex. My first love… my bane."

"Your… bane? Isn't that a little melodramatic?"

"It's true."

"Really. Explain."

"Ah, that's too complicated."

Zane threw an arm around her shoulders. "Keep talking. It'll make you feel better."

"You know, I haven't cried. I can't cry. The tears won't come," rambled Brin, her eyes glazing over. "I feel like a bad person for not crying. Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you're sad? Cry?"

"It's okay. Don't do this to yourself. Don't torture yourself," whispered Zane. He could see her crumbling before his very eyes. "Tell me more about your family."

"Papa always took care of us. Even after the Pulse, he made sure everything was alright all the time. We were never hungry or without electricity. Even when… even when I had to leave… when Zack told me to go… Papa was strong. I loved him so much. Remember at Manticore, when we had wondered what it was like to have adults who loved you? The Lopez family loved me like their own. It's hard to believe he's really gone."

Zane pulled her close so that her head rested on his shoulder. "We transgenics have dealt with and endured more torture than most Ordinaries will experience in their lifetimes… I mean, they say time heals all wounds, but look what time has done to us! Tinga is dead, Ben is dead, Jace is gone. You were forced to have a child, though I admit that that certain scenario came out very well. The point is, Brin, that the only way we can get through this is with each other. They made us and they trained us to support our comrades in their times of need. It's okay to cry, Brin."

"When did you learn to be a philosopher?" replied the female X5, her voice riddled with sadness despite her attempt at humor. "Remember when I said I got annoyed with Wolf was philosophical…"

"Tears have been scientifically proven to heal the human mind."

Brin first began to laugh, then her peals of laughter turned into sobs and she buried her face against his shoulder, tears streaming from her eyes. She wrapped both arms around his neck and cried freely, the sobs sending shudders through her body. He merely hugged her back, making comforting sounds that only someone who was part animal would understand.

They stayed for the funeral, which was held two days later, and then returned to Olympia, where they made a decision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well I'll be damned," said Syl as she read the mail.

"What?" asked Jondy, coming to stand beside her.

"Brin and Zane ran off to Europe to elope!" exclaimed the blonde X5 in shock. "I thought they were still in the beginning stages?"

"Guess not."

"Hey, what's that?" called Krit from the doorway.

Syl looked over her shoulder at her husband. "Brin and Zane eloped!"

"You're shitting me!" Krit hurried over and snatched up the wrinkled piece of paper. "Wow. Didn't think Zane had it in him." He smirked.

"Shut up, Krit," growled Jondy. "It's sooo romantic! Europe!"

Zack entered the room and froze when he saw them all smiling like drunken idiots. "What?"

"Brin and Zane eloped," answered Jondy with a dreamy look in her eyes. "They ran off to Europe! Isn't that romantic, Zack?"

Zack chuckled nervously. "Uhh… yeah…" He quickly looked for a change of subject. "So what else does the letter say?"

"Says… 'We hope you aren't too angry that we didn't have a big wedding like Max and Jondy are going to have, but we needed to be alone and have a nice vacation. See you later; we'll be back for the weddings! Love, B and Z.' Aww, isn't that _cute_?" squealed Syl.

"Adorable," grumbled Krit.

"Touching," added Zack.

Jondy and Syl glared at them.

"Fine, be that way!" barked Syl. "You can have the couch tonight."

Krit's eyes widened in horror. "What…? No, I didn't mean…"  
  


Syl tapped her foot impatiently.

"I'm sorry, baby," said Krit, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Forgiven," replied Syl with a smile. She then proceeded to kiss him.

Jondy looked at Zack expectantly. "See? That's what a couple is supposed to be like. You need to spend more time around Krit, Zane, and Alec."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Jondy, why d'you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Compare me with them."

"'Cause I have no idea what I'm _supposed_ to expect."

Meanwhile, Syl and Krit were still locked in their kiss, moving towards the couch.

Zack sighed. "Look, Jon, it's not gonna work if you keep doing this to me. We've known each other since we were born. You know I'm slower than the others at this whole orthodox thing."

Jondy ran her fingers through her hair. "Okay. Sorry. I guess I _have_ been a little hard on you… How about a truce?"

"Sounds good." He smiled. "But lets get out of here before Syl and Krit conceive their next kid."

Jondy briefly glanced over at the other two X5s, who had reached the couch, and frowned. "Yeah… that sounds like a good idea…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: This could quite possibly be the second to last chapter in this story. Yay! Almost done with another story! ^_^


	9. Final Assault

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

Summary: FWAHAHA! As of now (as I write this summary), this is the last chapter… and it's going out with a bang (I hope).

A/N: Didn't feel like going into the whole wedding thing. Would take too long, and if you've read one M/A wedding story, you've read them all. ^_^

Happily Never After 

****

By

**Brin**

"The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy." - Von Clausewitz (1780-1831)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Months passed with no activity on the transgenic front besides the order to have all underage transgenics adopted, which the older transgenics handled easily. The small family that consisted of the '09 escapees, Alec, Pick, and Eddie grew closer together as autumn passed to late winter. Max and Alec and Jondy and Zack had a double wedding, which nearly every transgenic in America attended.

Alec and Max's house, which had been in the process of construction for several months, was finally finished and they moved in a few weeks after Christmas. It was a relatively large two-story Victorian-looking house with a second-story balcony and pillars in the entryway.

Syl and Krit moved to Bellevue, a city not too far from Seattle, where they bought their own house and ducked under the radar of Ordinary politics to raise Eve like a normal little girl… or as normal as possible.

Jondy and Zack purchased a penthouse in the High Rise section of town, near Foggle Towers.

After several months of not hearing from him, it was discovered that Sketchy landed a contract with CNN, taking the seat of recently-retired anchor Dan Rathers. Original Cindy found herself a serious girlfriend and helped Normal run an organization known as OWWT, _Ordinaries Working With Transgenics_, which educated both transgenics and Ordinaries on the facts and lies about each side.

The S1W emerged victorious in a heated battle with the police over the burning of the Manticore. As a result, several cops were jailed for committing perjury and many members of the S1W were given government permits to enter restricted buildings and few case evidence so that they could flush out corrupt cops more easily. Asha, her distrust of the government too deeply embedded in her psyche to work for them, continued to run the S1W as supreme commandant.

Logan, being Logan, invented a new kind of computer chip. With the resulting money, he got Eyes Only up and running again.

There was no Familiar activity to be spoken of.

Everything was finally looking up… or so they all thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max nearly dropped her glass of water as a loud horn blared outside. She set the glass of water on a coaster, then peeked outside the window to see a familiar Nissan 240 SX sitting in front of their house. "Eddie! Diana's here!" she called, sitting on the couch.

The cat anomaly slid down the banister on her feet and nearly bashed her head on the ceiling as she jumped off. She then plopped down on the floor and began pulling on her snow boots.

"Where are you going?" asked Max nonchalantly, turning on the television to watch Sketchy give a special news report on Pre-Pulse rock bands.

"Movies. Diana's got a new date."

Max laughed. "That's the third one this week."

"Yeah, well after Mr. Jack's Clone dumped her in three hours, she's been pretty wary of guys."

"Not his fault. I'd be pretty mad if I was tricked like that."

Eddie shrugged and stood up, grabbing her jacket and a scarf from the coat closet. "She says it was good while it lasted."

"What're you going to watch?" Max took a sip of water and pulled a box of saltine crackers from the coffee table.

"Uhh… James Bond VII or something like that. They replaced Pierce Brosnan with this really hot dude with famous pecs." The cat anomaly finished bundling herself up and looked at the X5. "Are you okay? You look kinda pale."

"I'll be okay in a few hours. Get outta here," replied Max with a smile.

Eddie nodded and yanked open the door, receiving an icy gust of snow and wind to the face. She stepped out and closed the door behind her, then jogged out to Diana's sleek orange car.

As she slipped inside, Diana grumbled, "Took you long enough."

"It's freezing in here!" protested Eddie, hugging herself. "Turn on the heater!" She reached for the switch.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Diana swatted the anomaly's hand away. "Don't touch! I don't wanna use the heater. You can deal with it until we get to the movies."

"Bitch."

"Brat."

"Psycho."

"Nerd."

They glared at each other for a few moments, then gave up and started laughing. Diana revved the engine of her car, smiling at the sound it made. "Aah, now _that_ is music, my friend. What more do you need?"

Eddie shook her head. "You and your car… You're almost as bad as Max and the motorcycle."

Diana smirked and floored the gas pedal. The wheels squealed, then the car shot off down the street with its rumbling motor echoing off the houses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm beginning to think that you bring me along just to scare them away," declared Eddie as they parked the SX as far as possible from any other cars to avoid having it scratched. "And Pick doesn't help any."

"Well you said he couldn't make it," said Diana, pressing the 'lock' button. The car chirped. "So that makes your argument void."

Eddie huffed, "I shouldn't be here, either. This is supposed to be a date, and dates generally involve two people, remember?"

Diana ignored her as she started towards the theater.

They had developed a shaky friendship over the past months, its foundation resting on the fact that they could relate to each other on a lot of levels – losing loved ones, going through tough times, boy troubles, etc. On top of that, both girls knew when was a good time to just shut up. It was a quality that made their relationship bearable.

After purchasing tickets, Diana stood outside waiting for her date while Eddie indignantly warmed herself inside, watching through the cracked glass doors. She made herself comfortable on a bench, assuming that, like all the guys Diana had hooked lately, he would be thirty minutes late.

Surprisingly, however, this guy arrived right on time – five minutes early in fact. He was dressed nicely, too, which was a strong contrast to Diana's last date, who had shown up wearing a stained tank top and tight cutoff shorts. He had on khaki slacks and a blue collared shirt, along with a shiny new leather jacket. His golden hair was wind-tousled and hung down into his pale blue eyes. He had large hands and was at least six-foot-three, towering above most of the other moviegoers. Diana and he whispered shy greetings to each other, then went inside.

Eddie stood as they approached her. "Hi," she said nervously.

Diana had an uncharacteristically silly grin on her face. "Eddie, this is Tom. Tom, this is Eddie."

"It's a pleasure," he said, holding out his hand.

Eddie smiled as she shook his hand. "Hope I'm not intruding…" She looked up into his eyes and a shiver went down her spine. His eyes darkened and she looked away.

"No, that's fine. Any friend of Diana's is welcome," interrupted Tom with a million-dollar smile.

_Hook, line, and…, _thought Eddie suspiciously.

"Um, we're going to go get some popcorn. Can you grab us seats?" asked Diana, handing Eddie a ticket.

"Sure," replied the anomaly, watching as they walked away. She frowned when Tom's hand snaked around Diana's waist. _Sinker_, Eddie finished her previous thought. There was something about that guy that made her skin crawl. He was just too… perfect. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was a transgenic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the film (though which Diana and _Tom_ had been cuddling the entire time), Diana and Eddie got back into Diana's Nissan and headed back home.

"We're going out to dinner tonight," gushed Diana, eyes sparkling. "In fact, after I drop you off I'm going to have to get ready. He's picking me up at eight."

"Really. Where?"

"Some French place. It's supposed to be really good," replied the athlete giddily. "Man, that guy is dreamy, isn't he? I think it's love at first sight."

Eddie laughed. "Are you serious? _You_, in love at first sight?"

"Hey, anything can happen," snapped Diana, hitting her friend on the head playfully. "'Sides, every girl has the right to live the dream – knight in shining armor."

"Well, what exactly do you like about him?"

"Whaddya mean?"

Eddie sighed and explained, "Well, with Pick… I like his hands, his hair, his face, his dimples, his muscles, especially—"

"Alright, alright, I get it," interrupted Diana. "I like Tom's voice. Did you listen to him? He sounds like a friggin football announcer! I bet he can sing. I also like his hands. They're huge. And he's got this wicked scar on his arm—"

"What?" Eddie froze. "A scar on his arm? Where?"

"Here." Diana gestured to the underside of her forearm. "It's sick. He told me he got cut by this thug robbing a convenient store."

"And it looks like?"

"I dunno. It was kind of faded…"

Eddie gulped down the large lump in her throat. "O…kay." They reached her house and she leaned over to her friend. "Be careful," she warned quietly before stepping out of the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the anomaly got inside, she found Max and Alec sitting rigid on the couch, faces intent on the TV. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Shhh!" urged Max, gesturing for Eddie to come sit down as well.

Eddie walked over, the sound of Sketchy's voice increasing as she approached.

"…it has just been confirmed that WNBA superstar Yolanda Brooks has been kidnapped from her Los Angeles home. Witnesses say she was taken by a man she had recently dated, though nobody can surely identify him. He is described as being a Caucasian male, about six-foot-five, with black hair and green eyes.

"This is the third alleged kidnapping reported in the past hour. If you have just joined us, the other kidnapping victims are: NHL Rookie of the Year, Ritchie Patterson; Professional tennis-player Irulan Williams; and NFL star quarterback Blake Winden.

"All the victims were reported to be taken by individuals in their early-twenties, described to be in very good shape and showing no signs of mental trouble. All kidnappers have allegedly been dating each of their victims, though no connection can be made between the cases beside the fact that all the victims are nationally-recognized athletes. The FBI says this is an organized operation run by the likes of which have never been seen. If you have any information, please contact your local police station."

Eddie paled. "Diana." She turned and ran towards the door, but Alec shot up and grabbed her arm.

"You're not going anywhere. It's not safe," he said sternly. "Sit."

"No, you don't understand! Diana… her date… he's going to kidnap her! I know he is! I've got to warn her! Let me go!"

"Calm down," said Max, standing and taking Eddie's face in her hands. "Look at me and think clearly. Why would Diana's date kidnap her?"

"Diana said he had a scar right here." She gestured to her forearm. "What more do you need?"

Max looked at Alec, her eyes expressing her worry. "Alec…"

He stared at Eddie for a long while, his emerald eyes filled with confusion, then he walked over to the coat closet and pulled out an M16. "Let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alec's black truck barreled down the icy street so fast that he had given up looking at the speedometer. Unfortunately, Diana lived on the other side of town and some of the roads were closed down due to the ice. Already they had outrun two cop cars and an old man on a motorcycle. They thought they were going at a good pace until they reached the inner part of the city. The traffic was backed up for several miles due to an accident involving two semi trucks carrying stolen goods.

"Come on!" Alec leaned on the horn angrily. "Don't you see we're out to save the world here?"

"Psycho!" yelled someone, and another driver flipped him off.

Alec growled and slumped in his seat. He looked at the clock. 7:00. "I don't think we're going to make it. The guy will probably come early to surprise her."

Max turned on the radio.

"…reports have come in warning all potential athletes against leaving their houses tonight. The nation is on alert. The owner of this station wishes to send out a special warning to the members of any professional team members in Seattle, especially: quarterback Nick Bettinger of the Washington Redskins, professional hockey player William Litsey, and semi-professional boxer Diana Guzman…"

"Shit," grumbled Max, seeing the color drain from her adopted daughter's face.

"I'm getting out," announced the anomaly. "I'll be faster on foot."

"Eddie, you don't even have your jacket. It's below freezing out there."

Ignoring the female X5, Eddie opened the door and jumped from the vehicle. Max moved to follow her, but Alec stopped her. "Max! I'll go after her. Stay here," he said sternly, exiting the truck.

Max sighed in exasperation and jumped over the median to sit in the driver's seat, closing the door. "This is bad."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie's body felt stiff and horribly sore as she ran through the city, eyes raking the buildings, trying to gain a sense of direction. She vaguely heard Alec calling after her name, but paid him no attention as she pushed forward with single-minded determinedness. She could hear the news report right now, _"This just in: Bronx-native semi-professional boxer Diana Guzman has been kidnapped. Her kidnapper is described as about six-foot-three with blonde hair and blue eyes. If you have any information, please call your local police station."_

As she ran out from between two buildings, the anomaly's attention was caught as two headlights hurtled straight towards her. She froze in fear and barely had time to realize what was happening before the car struck her and she was thrown several meters back.

"Holy shit!" yelled voices, gathering around her. "He hit the freak!"

Eddie's vision spun. Every breath held a sharp pang of pain her lungs. Blood was on her hands, but she didn't know where it was coming from.

"Eddie!" shouted Alec's voice, but he sounded far off. He knelt next to her. "Eddie, where does it hurt?"

Why was his voice echoing? The cat anomaly made a broad gesture to her abdomen and chest, though it hurt to move. She felt the cold air and snow quickly seeping into her body.

"Okay, I think you've cracked a rib and there might be some internal damage. Keep still," ordered Alec, frowning as she tried to sit up. "Don't move!"

"No!" protested the anomaly, bolting upright and ignoring the spasms of pain constricting her chest. "I'm getting Diana first!"

Alec looked up at the driver of the truck that had hit the anomaly. "Give us your car."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They arrived at Diana's at 7:30. Eddie staggered up the stairs of Diana's building, gasping as she saw that the door lock had been shot off. She shoved open the door and peeked inside. The floor was covered in debris. There were several holes in the walls. A pot of tea sat forgotten on the stove.

Eddie and Alec froze as they heard a crash from the next room. Alec made a several hand gestures to Eddie. _Careful. I'll go in first. Don't underestimate your enemy._

The anomaly nodded in reply and they crept towards the sound, bodies poised. Alec's gun was raised. He got to the bedroom door and gently pushed it open, wincing at the creaking sound it made. When it had opened enough for him to slip through, he quietly did so, with Eddie moving painfully after him.

"Freeze!" yelled Alec as soon as he saw what was going on.

Eddie's eyes widened in horror when she spotted Diana being held several feet in the air by 'Tom.' She was badly beaten, with big black and blue bruises covering her body. Her right leg had a bump on it, signaling it was badly broken. Judging by the blood on her head and the shattered glass on the floor, he had smashed her through the window. His body was tense. He was ready to throw her right out shattered window.

"You can't stop us," declared the Familiar. He had a rip in his shirt and his eye was swollen shut. "This one put up a good fight. She will be a good contribution."

"Sick bastard," mumbled Eddie under her breath.

Alec's hold tightened on his gun until his knuckles turned white. "Put her down!"

The Familiar moved forward, dangling Diana outside the window. Her feet hung limply ten stories up. "You really want me to?"

Diana whimpered, her trying in vain to pry the Familiar's vice-like hands from her throat. She was turning colors in the face.

"She can't breath," whispered Eddie. "He's crushing her windpipe."

Alec raised his gun. "Step away from the window or I'll blow your ass off."

Tom smiled demonically, but complied with Alec's order. He then dropped Diana to the floor where she coughed and sputtered for breath. "As you wish."

The X5 barely had time to react as the Familiar ran forward and knocked the gun from his hands, then gave him a swift punch that sent him crashing through the wall behind him. Eddie grabbed a piece of wood from the floor and hit the Familiar on the back of the head with it, but he merely flinched.

"Silly girl," he said, tossing her aside with one hand. He then went over to Diana and threw her over his shoulder. "Come. You will impress the Committee."

Diana hit his back with clenched fists, but there was no force behind her blows. She looked through blurry eyes at the two transgenics, lying helpless and injured on the floor. "Eddie… Eddie!"

"Shut up," ordered the Familiar, hitting her on the back of the head with his knuckles. She blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max worriedly stroked Eddie's forehead as the young anomaly began to wake up from her nightmare-ridden sleep. She had broken two ribs, nearly puncturing a lung, and when the Familiar had thrown her she had bruised her skull. "Poor thing," whispered Max. She looked over at Alec, who had been brooding in the corner ever since he had brought her home. "I should've been there, Alec."

"No. You would've been hurt or killed or worse," he said through gritted teeth. "That guy… he was stronger than normal. He could blur."

"Logan said there is a possibility of multiple bloodlines of Familiars. That kid with mind powers, for instance. I bet he was part of some special line, and so is this guy… the only question is why not use them earlier?"

There was a long silence, which was then broken by Alec saying, "Because they were saving them."

"For what?"

"For the final assault."

Max frowned. "What do you mean?"

Alec stood and grabbed his cell phone. "I'm going to find out." He dialed Dix's number and waited impatiently for the transhuman to answer.

"Dix here."

"Hey, Dix, remember that last set of runes? The ones that didn't make sense when put with the first set?"

"Yeah…" The transhuman sounded confused.

"Okay, say it to me again." He put on the speakerphone so Max could listen as well.

There was the sound of ruffling papers as Dix searched for where he had scribbled down the translations. He cleared his throat and began, "The last set says this: 'When the doe is kidnapped and taken among the wolf den and the savoir finds reason for jubilation, the storm will have begun to thunder. Lightning will strike when the helpless learn of their threat, and the savoir will rise above the clouds to rid the air of Armageddon.'"

"Thanks, Dix. Talk to ya later," said Alec, then he hung up. "Max… almost all of it fits… but is there something you want to tell me?"

Max gulped down the large lump in her throat and turned her eyes downward, her hands idly stroking Eddie's cheek. This action caused the anomaly to fully awake, and she sat upright. As soon as she did, however, a groan escaped her lips and she laid back down again. "What… Diana! Where's Diana? Did you catch him?"

Alec frowned, then gave the anomaly a sympathetic look. "We'll get her back."

"Shit," seethed Eddie. "What are they going to do with her?"

"That's a good question," said Max, eager to get Alec's attention off her. "Why don't we call Logan?"

Alec gave her a 'We'll discuss this later' look, then dialed Logan's number on the speakerphone.

"You've reached the number you've dialed."

"Logan," said Alec quietly. "Have you seen the news?"

"Yeah. Just came in that they took a girl named Diana Guzman. Did you know her? Heard she was from the Seattle area…"

"We know her, and we want to know what you think they'll do with her. Haven't you been looking up on the Familiars all this time?"

There was the sound of clicking keys as Logan pulled up the info. "Yeah. I just got in a report from a contact a few hours ago. He says that the kidnappings all have to do with the whole 'selective breeding' thing. All the victims' most recent medicals show that they have advanced metabolism, natural fitness, good looks, and nearly constant health. Now think about it… if you wanted your kid to never have to face a gym, who would you pick to have a kid with?"

"Someone athletic," whispered Max, appalled. "So… they're going to…"

"Impregnate the females or harvest their eggs, and I assume they will harvest sperm from the males to use in several Familiar females just because they can. It's sick, but it's our best guess about what they'll do to their victims… otherwise…"

"Otherwise what?" interrupted Alec.

Logan sighed, exasperated. "Otherwise they'll use them as test subjects for whatever the hell they're going to use to 'wipe out the human race.'"

Silence settled over the group.

"Thanks, Logan. We'll… talk to you later…" Alec hung up.

"Dear God," said Max quietly. "That's… that's sick."

"It's twisted, that's what it is," growled Alec. "Worse than Manticore. No wonder Sandeman would want to leave." He looked at Max square in the eye. "Now, Max, this prophecy seems to be in effect. There's only one thing missing."

Max gulped and averted her eyes from his emerald green ones. She took several deep breaths, then said in a shaky voice, "Alec… I think I'm pregnant."

_finis_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: BAHA! BAHAHAHAHAHA! ^_^


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